Survivor: Central Hub
by SSBFreak
Summary: Eighteen fancharacters from different video games enter a game of Survivor. Which of the eighteen will be the sole survivor and who will be voted out?
1. Day 0

_Author's Note: I already posted this story on another site and it's already completed, so if anyone here has read this story there, I would appreciate it if you avoided spoiling anything for those that haven't read it yet._

* * *

**(Day 0)**

The scene opened to show an island, mainly consisting of beach and vegetation. A country was seen off in the distance, showing that the island wasn't too far away from land. After doing a few fly-bys, a blonde man was seen walking on the beach.

"Welcome to Survivor: Central Hub. I'm your host, SSBFreak." The man explained. "Over the next while, I'll be following the events of having eighteen random people put on an island together. These eighteen people, each originating from an existing franchise, will go into two teams of nine and compete to win challenges. The losing team will vote someone off the island and out of the game at each Tribal Council, taking place after every Immunity Challenge."

SSBFreak walked along the beach until he arrived at a dock, where a boat was parked.

"These eighteen contestants have a wide variety of personalities, so you can bet that, even though some will get along, there will be some major conflict as well." SSBFreak announced as he turned to the dock as the first contestant stepped off the boat and started walking along the dock. "Let's meet the contestants."

The first contestant walked down the dock, revealing himself to be a white-haired teenager dressed in a blue sweater. His hands were in his pockets as he approached the host.

**CRANE – 18 – JET GRIND RADIO**

"Crane! Welcome to Survivor!" SSBFreak said as he held out his hand.

Crane inspected the host's hand for a second, shrugged and shook it. "Whatever." He said. "I hope there's gonna be more teenagers on the island."

"Uh…Yeah. Why?"

"Because I have to deal with enough adults back home." Crane replied.

"Oh, that's right. You're a rudie, aren't you?"

"Stupid police force." Crane muttered to himself as he passed SSBFreak. "Graffiti is an art form."

The next contestant came walking towards SSBFreak, revealing a female yellow cat with a red headband and a white shirt.

**ANGIE – 17 – SONIC THE HEDGEHOG**

"Welcome, Angie." SSBFreak greeted. "I hope your survival skills are up to par, because you'll be needing them here."

"Don't worry about me, pal." Angie said, giving a wink. "I already have a plan going in my head."

"Good to hear. Just stand over there with Crane until everyone's here."

Angie nodded and walked over to Crane, whom raised an eyebrow in confusion, as if he had never seen a talking animal before. Angie saw him looking at her and smirked slyly, giving a wave. The rudie decided to ignore it for now and gave a shrug.

The next contestant emerged from the boat and made his way down the dock. He was shown to be an adult human with red-brown hair. The most notable feature was that he was wearing shades.

**ELIAS – 32 – THE MOVIES**

"Pulled straight from The Movies, it's Elias." SSBFreak said, holding out his hand, which Elias firmly shook. "How goes the acting, man?"

"Couldn't be better." Elias replied simply. "I'm currently trying to get into directing."

"Maybe you could do a movie about this competition." SSBFreak joked.

Elias gave a shrug. "Ask me again after we make the merge and I'll answer that question."

With that, Elias went over to stand beside Crane and Angie, not making eye contact with them. The two teenagers looked at Elias, then at each other, before shuddering.

The next contestant emerged from the boat and bounded down the dock, showing a skunk wearing a purple shirt and jeans.

**ZOE – 18 – STAR FOX**

"Zoe, welcome to-" SSBFreak said just before the energetic skunk girl latched onto him.

"Oh, I'm so excited to be here!" Zoe cheered. "I can't believe I'm actually on Survivor!"

SSBFreak suddenly caught a whiff of a foul stench coming from Zoe's tail and quickly broke away. "G-Good to see that you're ready to get things going." He said. "Why don't you go over to the other contestants?"

"Oh! Great idea!" Zoe nodded as she raced over to the others. Once Zoe was gone, SSBFreak made a relieved face at the camera.

Zoe reached the others and stood at attention to wait for the rest of the contestants. She didn't even notice Crane, Angie and Elias inch away from her stench.

The fifth contestant was revealed to be a skinny, turquoise-skinned alien with a tall forehead above her face. She wore a button-up, red shirt that was opened to reveal the black tank-top she was wearing underneath.

**KIDA – 22 – RATCHET AND CLANK**

"Well, it looks like the planet Rilgar has sent someone to represent them." SSBFreak said with a smirk. "How's it going, Kida?"

"Awesome, man! I just do what I do best!" Kida replied.

"…And what's what?"

"Hoverboarding, dude!" Kida cheered as she held up her hand. SSBFreak paused for a few seconds before hesitantly giving Kida a high-five. Kida cheered as she went on to go over to the other contestants.

After Kida was gone, SSBFreak looked at the camera. "Seriously. She's like a female Skidd McMarxx." He noted, jerking his thumb over towards Kida.

The next contestant was revealed to be a tall male dressed in a white tank-top and jeans. He wore a green bandana on his head.

**BARNEY – 27 – SUIKODEN 3**

"Glad you could make it, Barney." SSBFreak held out his hand. Barney grinned and shook it, nearly crushing SSBFreak's hand.

"Great to be here." Barney nodded. "Hopefully, I'll be able to use my strength to my advantage here."

"Uh…Yeah. You do that." SSBFreak said, feeling his hand, as Barney wandered off to join the other contestants.

Elias stroked his chin. "I hope he's on my team." He said. "He could be useful."

As SSBFreak checked to see if his hand was still okay, the next contestant showed up, revealing herself to be a teenage elven girl wearing a white dress.

**LILAH – 19 – LEGEND OF ZELDA**

"Well, Lilah. Here we are. Survivor." SSBFreak said. "How's it feel?"

"Great. I hope I can do myself justice out here." Lilah said. "So who's on my team?"

"We have to wait for everyone to show up, first." SSBFreak explained. "Go over there for now."

Lilah nodded and went over to the others. Kida gave her a high-five.

Ironically, the next contestant was also an elven. However, unlike Lilah, he wasn't exactly young, as proven by his gray hair and large mustache…

**NIKKO – 53 – JAK & DAXTER**

"Nikko, you're the oldest one we've got this season." SSBFreak explained. "You think that could hurt you?"

"Nope. I've got lots of fight left in me." Nikko assured with a smirk. "Hopefully, my team will see that when I help them win challenges."

"Seems like an okay guy." Barney noted, scratching his head. "He's got the determination."

"Yeah, but does he have the skill?" Angie asked.

The next contestant was another guy, dressed a little more formally than the others, as shown by his gray, button-up shirt as opposed to a tee shirt. His short, brown hair was spiked upwards.

**JONATHAN – 25 – PHOENIX WRIGHT**

"I'm still not exactly sure what it is you are where you come from, Jonathan." SSBFreak said. "You put 'Businessman' on your application, but we would have liked a little more detail."

"Hey, I got on the show." Jonathan said with a shrug and innocent smirk. "That's all you really needed to know."

As Jonathan walked past the host to join the others, SSBFreak scratched his head. "He's going to be tough to get info out of." He noted.

All of the contestants' eyes widened when they saw the next contestant coming down the dock. After all, a female, muscled Klingon dressed in black would be enough to scare anyone…

**SHEE'NA – UNKNOWN – STAR TREK**

"Shee'Na, you're one of the two strongest people on the season." SSBFreak said. "You feel confident?"

Shee'Na's emotionless look suddenly vanished, replaced by confusion. "One of two?" She asked. "Who could be as strong as-"

Shee'Na suddenly caught sight of Barney and smirked. "Oh. This makes things a little more interesting." She said as she walked over to the others.

Barney frantically turned to Kida. "Help me." He whimpered.

"You're on your own, bro." Kida replied as she backed away from Shee'Na.

The next contestant earned just as many stares as Shee'Na, but these were different stares. A platypus would tend to get confused looks, anyway.

**TORK – 30 – CRASH BANDICOOT**

"Tork, welcome." SSBFreak said. "Now, I understand that you may bring something to your team that may be useful?"

"You've got it, but I won't say what it is until something comes up." Tork replied, giving a smirk as he walked over to the other contestants.

"Why is everyone being so secretive?" SSBFreak asked.

"Something tells me he's going to be a wildcard." Lilah noted.

"Only time will tell, I suppose." Nikko shrugged.

The next contestant strutted down the dock, revealing a human female with blonde hair that covered her right eye.

**BONNIE – 24 – BLACK & BRUISED**

"This is Bonnie, an amateur boxer." SSBFreak said. "How's it going?"

Bonnie seemed to ignore the host and looked at the contestants. "That's the competition?" She scoffed. "This will be a lot easier than I thought." She walked over to the others, one hand on her hip.

"Way to make a good first impression." Crane muttered under his breath.

"Shut it, twerp." Bonnie snapped, narrowed her eyes.

Everyone, deciding to ignore Bonnie, looked at the dock and saw the next contestant, a tall, white rabbit wearing a pair of jeans, approaching.

**REGINALD – UNKNOWN – RAYMAN: RAVING RABBIDS**

"Reginald, the world's smartest Rabbid!" SSBFreak said as the rabbit approached him with a bored look on his face. "Not that that's really a hard thing to do."

"Indeed. Let's just say I'm a lot more advanced than those degenerates." Reginald shrugged.

"Well, welcome to the competition." SSBFreak nodded. "Can we call you 'Reggie'?"

"No." Reginald pointed out quickly as he walked off to join the others.

The next contestant, a black-haired girl with a ponytail, nervously walked down the dock, pushing her glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose.

**MEL – 16 – MYSIMS**

"The computer geek of the season is here." SSBFreak announced. "How's it going, Mel?"

"Good, I guess. But I consider myself a computer TECHNICIAN." Mel reminded.

"Tomato, tom-mah-to." SSBFreak shrugged.

As Mel walked over, Bonnie scoffed. "Please. This kid doesn't look like she'd be of much use to anyone." She snorted.

"Dude, that's pretty harsh." Kida pointed out. Bonnie ignored her.

Another young kid came walking down the dock, showing off his red-orange hair and green vest.

**JAKE – 16 – MEGAMAN BATTLE NETWORK**

"So you're a net battler, eh?" SSBFreak asked. "What's that like, Jake?"

"Oy, it's a blast. Ya need ta try it sometime, mate." Jake, clearly an Australian, replied.

"Well, the others are over there."

"G'day, mates." Jake greeted, earning waves from Mel, Zoe and Crane.

A scrawny Koopa wearing a green shirt and blue pants came walking down the dock, surprising everyone with the fact that he wasn't wearing a shell.

**MARTY – UNKNOWN – SUPER MARIO WORLD**

"Greetings, Marty. How goes retirement from Bowser's forces?" SSBFreak asked.

"Eh, it's got its pluses and minuses." Marty admitted. "Now that my friend and I are labeled as traitors, we've got Bowser to deal with as well as those stupid plumbers."

"Well, hopefully you'll be able to have a good vacation here."

"I intend to." Marty nodded as he left to join the other contestants.

"I thought Koopas wore shells." Reginald pointed out, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought Rabbids were short." Marty countered.

Reginald couldn't help but smirk.

Walking down the dock next was a green-skinned alien with what looked like droopy horns growing out of the back of her head. In spite of this, she looked cheerful.

**D'LOOA – 23 – STAR WARS**

"What can I say, D'looa? You're a Twi'lek and a Jedi." SSBFreak admitted. "You think you can manage?"

"I'll certainly try." D'looa said, in perfect English despite being a Twi'lek. She walked over to the others, some of whom seemed surprised.

"You…You speak English?" Angie asked.

"It's a long story." D'looa said with a smile.

The final contestant marched down the dock, whistling a tune as she showed off her jet black hair and green shirt with red sleeves. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw that she was spinning a sledgehammer in one hand.

**SANDY – 24 – SAM & MAX**

"Uh…Sandy? You can't bring that with you." SSBFreak pointed out.

"Aw…Really?" Sandy asked. "But what if I come across something that I need to kill? A sledgehammer should do the job."

"Sounds like you've been hanging around Max too much." SSBFreak sighed. "Seriously, get rid of that thing."

"You're no fun." Sandy pouted as she tossed her sledgehammer over her shoulder, causing it to break through the dock.

"She's all yours, man." Jonathan told Barney casually. Barney's eyes widened.

"Well, here are our eighteen contestants." SSBFreak said. "Now if you will follow me, I'll split you off into teams."

Everyone followed SSBFreak a ways away from the beach and into the jungle. SSBFreak led them to a clearing in the jungle, where there were two mats sitting on the ground, one red and one green.

"When I call out your name, go over and stand on the mat I direct you to." SSBFreak instructed. "Everyone you end up with will be your team until the merge, where both teams will combine into a new one."

Everyone, understanding of what SSBFreak was saying, nodded.

"Okay, on the red team…" SSBFreak said, looking out amongst the players. "…Kida…Elias…Angie…Barney…Mel…Jake…Bonnie…Crane…And D'looa. You guys will be known as the Nago Tribe."

The nine contestants went over to the mat, Bonnie looking a little less than thrilled. Elias noticed this and started thinking up plans.

"That means that the green team will consist of…" SSBFreak said, looking at the remaining contestants. "Marty…Tork…Sandy…Shee'Na…Lilah…Zoe…Jonathan…Nikko…And Reggie."

"Reginald!" Reginald snapped as he followed his team onto the green mat.

"You guys are the Temlin Tribe." SSBFreak finished as he tossed a map to each team. Elias and Jonathan caught their respective maps. "You guys start heading towards your campsites. I'll send you some treemail eventually and give you your first challenge."

The two teams took their maps and split off, going in opposite directions and starting the competition.

_Author's Note: If you guys want to see pictures of what the cast looks like, just go to my profile and click the homepage URL. The picture should be easy to find. Expect this story to be updated weekly since it's already finished and I'm currently working on the second season._


	2. Days 1 to 3

Author's note: Fonts in Italics are done during confessionals…

**(Nago Tribe, Day 1)**

"Looks like this is the place." Elias noted as he led his tribe into the campsite the map he was holding was directing them.

The campsite, needless to say, was completely unassembled. The supplies for everything were given, but they were all scattered around. A box was nailed to a nearby tree, revealing that this was their treemail station.

"_Yeah. Not like I was expecting otherwise, but we're going to have to build our shelter." Mel shrugged during a confessional. "I mean, honestly. Would anyone actually EXPECT to see a shelter fully-constructed upon arrival?"_

"We have to BUILD a shelter?!" Bonnie yelled, clearly upset.

"Looks like we're got enough supplies to build a shelter and fire pit." D'looa pointed out. "I wonder if they gave us flint as well…"

"Doubtful. They never do in these things." Elias reminded. "We'll have to win it."

"We'll worry about the fire when we get to it." Crane said. "I believe we have a little construction to do."

"Ya got that right, little dude." Kida nodded. "I say let's get to work and build us an awesome shelter!"

The tribe got to work on building their shelter, although Bonnie was doing so a little reluctantly and half-heartedly.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 1)**

"Here we are." Nikko said as he walked into an empty campsite (which was by the beach as opposed to just being a clearing in the jungle), holding the map Jonathan had been given. "Anyone here know how to build things?"

"This will be no problem." Shee'Na grinned slyly as she laid her eyes upon the supplies. "All we have to do is build something that can withstand the elements."

"Yeah. Doesn't sound too hard." Lilah admitted. "We just need something with a sturdy roof."

"Indeed, but if we construct a floor, we don't have to worry about sleeping on the sand." Reginald reminded. "While it's not essential, it could be a benefit."

"Less talk, people." Shee'Na urged, approaching the supplies. "The shelter isn't going to build itself."

As the others went to start work on the shelter, Marty looked at Jonathan. "Say, Jonathan? Why'd you opt to give Nikko the map?" The scrawny koopa asked.

Jonathan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Truth be told? I'm a horrible navigator." He replied. "I didn't want to get us lost."

Marty nodded in understanding. "Makes sense." He replied. "Good to see that you gave the map over without being stubborn."

"_Okay, I lied. You see, I'm a little nearsighted and I usually wear glasses. I just didn't bring my pair to the island because I didn't want to break them." Jonathan admitted during a confessional. "I couldn't make out anything on the map, but I didn't want to let my tribe know that. I don't want to be viewed as a liability this early in the game."_

"Get over here, scrawny boys!" Shee'Na shouted from afar.

This made Marty and Jonathan jump to attention and rush over to help their team.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"You sure that's the best place to build a shelter, mate?" Jake asked as he struggled to carry some supplies over to the desired area Elias had picked out.

"This place is in the shade." Elias pointed out as he set some supplies down in the area he had picked. "Not only will it be cool during the day, but we'll be protected from the rain underneath the trees here."

"Makes sense to me." Angie shrugged as she placed some supplies down beside the ones Elias had put down.

"I dunno." Crane admitted. "I just don't think this will work that well…"

"You got a better idea, skater boy?" Elias challenged. "Let's hear it."

"Meh. Whatever. Let's just build the shelter."

"_I can already tell that I'm not going to like Elias." Crane sighed. "There's just something about him that gives me the creeps. And that's saying something considering that I have to deal with people like Poison Jam all the time, and THOSE guys are creepy…"_

Barney whistled a cheerful tune as he casually strolled along with the rest of his tribe, carrying at least twice the amount of everyone else.

"Dude, aren't you tired?" Kida asked as Barney dumped the supplies he was carrying with everything else. "The rest of us are struggling, man! How are you doing that?"

"You kidding? I carry stuff all day where I come from." Barney shrugged with a grin. "This is just more exercise for me."

"Boy. I'm sure glad he's on our team." D'looa told Jake.

"Ya can't forget that the others've got a Klingon, mate." The Australian replied. "She's gotta be as strong as he is."

"Oh, man. Two strong people, one on each team." Mel's eyes widened in realization. "If it comes down to strength, they'll both clobber everyone else easily!"

"We'll worry about that when we go to a challenge." D'looa assured. "We'll see how the two strong people act when going against each other."

"_I work in a storehouse back in Budehuc Castle. Carrying stuff is what I do." Barney said. "I guess that makes me the strongest player on the tribe, which is a good thing because then they'll want to keep me around."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Just as the Nago Tribe was expecting, Shee'Na was proving to be the strongest on the tribe by far, carrying just as much as Barney was, if not a little more. Shee'Na was racing back and forth between the pile of supplies and the designated shelter area twice as fast as everyone else.

The Temlin Tribe was proving to build the shelter a lot faster than the Nago Tribe, mainly because some castaways were already building it as people were bringing supplies over. Tork, Reginald and Sandy were working on building a sturdy shelter as everyone else was bringing them supplies.

Oh, I've got a lov-e-ly bunch of coconuts! Doodly-doo!" Sandy sang. "And there they are a-standing in a row!"

Reginald and Tork wisely chose to ignore the black-haired girl. "We're making excellent progress." Reginald noted. "We should have this finished in no time at all."

"Yeah. I'm just glad I chose to help build the shelter as opposed to carrying supplies." Tork added. "I wouldn't be able to manage all of that."

Something suddenly struck Reginald's mind as he looked down at the platypus. "You never told us what that 'special skill' of yours is." The tall Rabbid said.

"You'll find out eventually." Tork replied with a smirk.

"_Even though it's early in the game, I know that Tork can turn out to be a wild card. This skill he talks about may be something beneficial to the tribe, but also could be something that could only be good for him." Reginald explained. "But from what I've seen so far, I think I can trust Tork. I think I can even trust Sandy to some extent, but I still don't know what goes on in that head of hers."_

"_Sometimes I feel like there's a mime inside of me, trying to get out." Sandy said brightly. "I think that may be one of the reasons people are afraid of me."_

Both tribes worked on their respective shelters, hoping to get them built by the end of the day. Eventually, the shelters were finished, one tribe a little less pleased than the other.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"Okay. I'll admit that it's not the best shelter." Angie admitted. "But it gets the job done."

The shelter for the Nago Tribe had ended up as little more than a wooden awning wide enough to cover all nine members of the tribe held up by wooden poles. Needless to say, some people weren't very satisfied.

Elias sighed. "I feel that we could have done so much more." He noted. "I think this shelter is barely passable."

"But it's passable." Mel supplied. "That's all that matters, right?"

The actor nodded. "I suppose so."

"Hey, we did all we could, bro." Kida said, placing a hand on Elias' shoulder. "I think it's-"

"Kindly remove the hand."

Kida quickly complied and remover her hand from Elias' shoulder.

"Nevertheless, we got it done. It may not be the best, but it's all we've got right now." Crane said.

Bonnie, in the meantime, was a lot more verbal than some of the others. "I can't believe we actually have to sleep under that thing." She growled. "That doesn't look like it'll hold against rain at all!"

D'looa raised an eyebrow at the amateur boxer and lightly hit one of the poles holding the wooden awning up. The pole didn't even flinch. "It seems okay to me." The Twi'lek pointed out.

"Screw you, extra-terrestrial." Bonnie said as she turned and briskly walked away, leaving the rest of her tribe alone.

"…_Yeah. This is gonna be a FUN competition." Angie groaned._

**(Temlin Tribe)**

The Temlin Tribe had proven to be a lot more successful than their competition. Not only had the tribe managed to build a shelter with a roof, but managed to place a platform underneath the shelter to keep them from sleeping on the sand.

Reginald gave an impressed smile. "Well, that went well." He said. "The shelter is complete and I think we all agree that it will suit all of our needs for now."

"Looks great, man!" Marty nodded with a grin. "I bet we've got a better shelter than the other tribe!"

"Not that it really looked like it would be that hard to do." Jonathan added. "Only a few of the members on the other tribe looked capable enough to build a shelter."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Zoe cheered, jumping in the air repeatedly. "Our first day on the island and we've already got an awesome shelter!"

Everyone else suddenly became aware of a familiar stench that had mysteriously been absent ever since they started construction. Several members held their noses when Zoe wasn't looking.

"_Okay, I know I have the tendency to let off a stench whenever I get excited, but give me a break! I'm a skunk!" Zoe pointed out. "I can't control it and whenever something excites me, all people can smell is a horrible smell coming from my tail. It's times like that that makes me wish I was a different species."_

"I propose a toast to our first day on the island!" Sandy said, producing a bottle of wine from behind her back.

Everyone stood in silence, wondering where the dark-haired girl had gotten the bottle from, before Lilah piped up. "Uh…Sandy, I don't think you're allowed to carry things like that around the island." She said.

"…Really?" Sandy asked before tossing the bottle away, over her shoulder, then pondering. "Is that why the producers wouldn't let me bring my chainsaw onto the island?"

Once again, everyone else was left in silence.

"_Okay, that human is crazy. I can safely say that I have never met someone as warped as her." Reginald said. "Now, I know some people would think of her as a danger because of that, but that unpredictability of Sandy's could actually come in handy in challenges."_

Night soon arrived and both teams were eventually off to sleep in their new shelters, preparing for the days ahead.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 2)**

Barney and Crane were the first two up. However, instead of going to check for treemail, they sat down on a couple of logs that were rolled out by the fire pit to talk.

"What do you think of the tribe so far?" Crane asked.

"Save for Bonnie, I think they're all okay." Barney reasoned.

"I agree with you there, but I'm also getting a bad feeling about Elias." The white-haired skater pointed out.

"Really?" Barney asked. "Why?"

"There's just something about him I don't like." Crane replied, casting a suspicious glance at Elias' sleeping form. "I just have a feeling that he's not what he appears to be."

"So what are you saying?" The strongman asked. "Are you suggesting an alliance?"

"You bet. I know it's just two of us right now, but we can add to it when we see fit." Crane suggested. "You in?"

Barney paused, but nodded. "Okay. I think it sounds good." He replied.

"_I know Crane is just a kid, but he's got his head on straight. I think I made the right choice in deciding to help him." Barney said. "Now we just need to find a few more people to add to the alliance so we'll have a majority."_

Soon, almost everyone was up. The only exception was Angie, whom was still curled up inside the shelter, asleep. D'looa noticed this and looked at Kida. "How can she still be asleep?" She asked.

"You got me, man." Kida shrugged.

"Oy! Mates, we got some treemail!" Jake said as he came rushing over, waving a letter in his hand.

"What's it say?" Mel asked, eager to get things started.

"'Follow the directions given ta find yer first challenge. Hope yer not afraid of water'." Jake read.

"It's way too early for an Immunity Challenge." Elias noted, shaking his head. "It must be a Reward Challenge."

Angie suddenly yawned as she rolled over to sit upright, rubbing her eyes. "What'd I miss?' The yellow cat yawned.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 2)**

"We has treemail, every-peoples!" Marty said as he ran over to the rest of his tribe (everyone was wide awake) with a letter.

"Sweet! Our first challenge!" Zoe cheered (once again releasing a putrid stench from her tail). "What's it say?! What's it say?!"

"It says that we have to follow the directions and hopes we're not afraid of water." Marty replied, trying to ignore Zoe's smell.

"Okay. We know it'll involve water, but we're not exactly sure how…" Jonathan noted.

"Doesn't the other team have a cat on their team?" Lilah asked with a smirk. "She may be afraid of water."

"We can always hope that." Shee'Na agreed, smirking as well. "If that's the case, we'll have an advantage."

"We can't get to overconfident about our competition, especially since we haven't seen any of them in action yet." Nikko pointed out. "For all we know, they may have one or two members that can beat all of us."

"_I wanted to be the voice of reason so people could respect me and keep me around if we lose." Nikko admitted. "I want to supply my information in a way that will make the others re-think strategies without sounding negative about it. If it works, they'll keep me around."_

"Also a good point." Reginald nodded. "We shouldn't count chickens before they hatch, Shee'Na."

"One can always hope." Lilah supplied optimistically.

"The only one I'm worried about is the one with the bandana." Shee'Na replied, folding her arms. "That one is apparently as strong as I am."

**(Reward Challenge)**

Following the directions given on the maps, the two teams trudged through the jungle before coming upon SSBFreak, whom was standing near a couple of coloured mats on the sand. The Nago Tride stepped onto the red mat and the Temlin Tribe stepped onto the green mat.

"Good morning, contestants." SSBFreak said. "I trust that you got a good night's sleep?"

"It was sufficient, if that's what you mean." Reginald replied.

"It is, Reggie."

"Reginald!"

SSBFreak chuckled when he saw Angie tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Well, even though I can tell some of you aren't quite awake yet, I'm sure you'll all be awake after this challenge." He said.

"What have you got lined up for us, human?" Shee'Na asked, grinning darkly as she slapped a fist into her palm. "Something physical, I hope." She glanced over at Barney with a sly smirk, making the strongman shrink back a bit.

"Yes and no." SSBFreak explained. "Follow me."

The contestants followed the tall host until he arrived at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He turned to face the outcasts again.

"This cliff is a seventy-foot drop into the ocean. We've also placed three rings in the water in the pattern of a bull's-eye. In this challenge, you will all have to jump off this cliff and try to get as close to the middle of the target as you can." SSBFreak said. "The outermost ring is worth twenty-five points, the next one in is worth fifty, and the third ring in the center is worth one-hundred points. The team with the highest amount of points at the end of the challenge will win some flint."

At the mention of flint, the teams looked more determined. Flint was definitely something they'd need to create a fire back at camp.

SSBFreak pulled out a coin and tossed it into the air. "Nago Tribe! Heads or Tails!"

"Tails." Someone said. No one knew whom.

"…It's Tails. Nago, you guys are jumping first." SSBFreak announced.

No one on the Nago Tribe seemed willing to jump first. Seeing this, Elias rolled his eyes behind his shades. "Seriously. You need someone to test-run the cliff jump?" He quizzed as he approached the edge of the cliff and dove off without a second thought.

Rather than scream, Elias was completely silent as he fell straight into the water. Unfortunately, his aim was a little off and he landed in the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 50; Temlin: 0)**

"_I don't get why people were so hesitant to jump." Elias sighed. "I'm an actor whom does his own stunts. A seventy-foot jump into the OCEAN?! Come on! That's nothing!"_

Crane watched this and folded his arms. "Okay. If that guy can jump, I can too." He said as he jumped off the cliff feet-first. Crane fell straight into the fifty-point range. (**Nago: 100; Temlin: 0)**

"I'm next, mates!" Jake called out, rushing towards the edge of the cliff and performing a cannonball off of it. The Australian let out a cheer as he fell directly into the middle of the target. **(Nago: 200; Temlin: 0)**

"Who's next?" D'looa asked.

Mel sighed. "Okay. I'll go." She said. After a moment's hesitation, the computer technician jumped, screaming all the way down, before falling into the twenty-five-point ring. **(Nago: 225; Temlin: 0)**

"You call that a jump, you twerp?!" Bonnie shouted down the cliff. "If we lose this, then I'm going to-"

D'looa and Kida looked at each other, then at Bonnie, eyes narrowed. The two alien girls shoved Bonnie off the cliff, sending her screaming down into the twenty-five-point ring. **(Nago: 250; Temlin: 0)**

Their job done, D'looa and Kida looked at each other again. "After you." D'looa said.

Kida looked down the cliff and smirked, giving a 'rock-on' sign with her hand. "Hang loose, dude!" She said as she dove off the cliff. Her aim was perfect and she landed in the middle of the target. **(Nago: 350; Temlin: 0)**

"Nice jump, Kida!" D'looa cheered. "Hopefully, I'll hit the middle as well."

The Twi'lek girl jumped, but her aim wasn't as good as Kida as she fell into the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 400; Temlin: 0)**

Barney and Angie were the last ones left for their team, and neither of them looked too keen on jumping.

"You guys going to jump anytime soon?" SSBFreak asked.

"I'm…Not exactly the best swimmer." Barney admitted.

"I'm a cat. Cats don't exactly like water very much." Angie added.

"Well, if you don't jump, you'll run the risk of losing the challenge." SSBFreak shrugged.

Barney paused, then scooped up Angie.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Angie asked. "You can't be serious about jumping!!"

Barney raced towards the edge of the cliff and leapt off, Angie in his arms. _**"BANZAI!!"**_ He screamed as he fell down towards the target. Angie's screams were heard until the two landed in the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 0)**

"Okay! That's the Nago Tribe done." SSBFreak nodded as he watched the tribe climb back onto the shore. The tall host looked at the remaining team. "Temlin, you guys are up."

Sandy couldn't contain herself any longer and once SSBFreak gave the okay she was off like a flash, torpedoing straight towards the end of the cliff and swan-diving off of it, laughing crazily the entire way into the middle of the target. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 100)**

"Uh…Okay?" Jonathan said.

"I'll go next." Lilah volunteered as she approached the edge of the cliff. "Might as well get this over with." The Hylian girl jumped off the cliff, but landed in the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 150)**

Shee'Na nodded as she approached the cliff. "I have to say that the elf girl has guts." The Klingon admitted as she jumped off the cliff. She also fell into the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 500: Temlin: 200)**

Marty was feeling more and more nervous every time someone jumped. He decided to end it once and for all and get it over with. "I'll go next." The scrawny koopa said quickly as he ran towards the cliff and leapt off. Unfortunately, his aim was a little off and he fell into the twenty-five-point range. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 225)**

Nikko saw Marty jump and shrugged, approaching the cliff. "I might as well go next." He said. "This doesn't look so hard now that I've seen everyone do it."

The older elf jumped off the cliff and landed in the water. Unfortunately, he had also landed in the twenty-five-point mark. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 250)**

"I'm with Nikko. I think I'll jump now." Tork announced as he approached the cliff and leapt off. His aim was a little better and he landed in the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 300)**

"Can I go next?" Zoe asked, starting to get excited again.

Jonathan and Reginald started smelling a bad smell again and decided to let Zoe go. "Go right ahead, kid." Jonathan said, forcing a smile and holding his breath.

Zoe cheered and raced towards the edge of the cliff, bounding off and falling directly into the middle of the target. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 400)**

"You go ahead, Jonathan." Reginald offered. "I'll go after you."

Jonathan shrugged. "Whatever you say, man." He said as he jumped off the cliff, landing in the fifty-point range. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 450)**

Reginald, the last contestant left, approached the cliff and looked down into the water. "Doesn't look so bad. This actually looks…" He paused when a strange feeling went through him. Reginald paused in silence for a second before he did something completely unexpected.

"_**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"**_ Reginald screamed psychotically as he jumped off the cliff, letting off the trademark Rabbid scream all the way down until hitting the middle of the target. **(Nago: 500; Temlin: 550)**

"Looks like we have our winner! The Temlin Tribe wins Reward!" SSBFreak said.

**(Later…)**

"I have to say that I'm impressed, Temlin." SSBFreak said as he handed Reginald some flint. "As a prize for winning the Reward Challenge, I present you with flint, which you can use to create a fire." He looked at the losing tribe and continued. "Nago, the only thing I can say to you is that you should be glad this wasn't an Immunity Challenge. That will come tomorrow."

Stepping back, SSBFreak placed his arms behind his back. "You can all head back to camp."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"That was awesome!" Jonathan cheered as he walked into camp with the others.

"Yeah! Winning the first challenge of the game!" Lilah agreed. "I feel great!"

"And the best part is that we now have a way to get ourselves some fire." Tork finished as he looked at Reginald. "What was up with that scream of yours, anyway?"

Reginald sighed, looking annoyed. "Okay. Okay. I have a tendency to scream psychotically sometimes." He admitted. "It comes with being a Rabbid. If I wanted one thing changed to separate me even further from the rest of those narrow-minded simpletons, it would be to take away the Rabbid's instinct to scream."

"I certainly hope you won't do that all of the time." Shee'Na said, looking serious. "I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night."

"Don't worry. I can control it a lot better than others."

"Look, the main thing is that he won us the challenge." Jonathan supplied to the Klingon as he held out the flint.

Shee'Na paused, folded her arms and nodded. "Okay. I'll give him that." She admitted.

"I call dibs on starting the fire!" Sandy shouted as she grabbed the flint from Jonathan and raced towards the fire pit, leaving the rest of the tribe in silence.

"Is it really a good idea to give her something that can start a fire?" Zoe asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Probably not." Nikko shook his head. "Can someone grab her and keep her from starting a fire? I don't think our shelter would survive..."

Shee'Na and Jonathan quickly complied to Nikko's wishes and rushed over to Sandy to stop her from lighting a fire.

"…_Yeah. I have to say that Sandy scares me a little bit. I don't know what could have caused this sort of change in a normal human being, but she's told us that she idolizes Max." Lilah shrugged. "I think that may be enough to warp anyone's mind if you know anything about that little white rabbit."_

**(Nago Tribe)**

"That was pathetic!" Bonnie roared as she followed everyone else into camp. "We should have won that challenge easily!"

"Well, we didn't." Crane folded his arms. "The other team was just more determined. They only beat us by fifty points."

"The little dude has a point." Kida nodded. "We were pretty close to winning."

Bonnie ignored them and towered over Mel. "This is your fault, you little runt! You should have gotten closer to the middle of the target!"

Mel stepped back in surprise. "H-How is this my fault?" She asked. "I tried to hit the middle of the target. I was just off."

"The point is that you didn't hit the middle of the target!" Bonnie continued. "Now, because of you, we don't have fire!"

Mel looked down in shame, not wanting to let anyone, Bonnie especially, see her crying.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you worthless little-" Bonnie shouted.

"_Okay, it's official. That girl has severe issues. How can she just verbally assault a teenager like that?" Barney asked. "I could see that Mel was getting upset, so I decided that it was best to separate the two for now."_

"Elias, can you take Bonnie aside for a minute?" Barney asked the actor. "Maybe she'll listen to you and calm down."

Elias paused, then nodded. "Okay. I'll try." He replied as he grabbed Bonnie's arm and started leading her away.

"You okay, Mel?" Barney asked, kneeling down.

"I…I'm fine…" Mel whimpered.

"No, you're not." D'looa said. "I don't think anyone could take verbal abuse like that without breaking down."

"She's…She's right…" Mel sighed, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes. "It's my fault we lost."

"No it's not." Crane shook his head. "That hothead only got twenty-five points as well."

"Mel, you don't need flint to make a fire." Barney said. "It's a little more challenging, but I'll show you how to do it."

Mel nodded slowly. "O-Okay…" She said.

Meanwhile, Elias had taken Bonnie into the jungle a bit. Not too far away from camp, but far enough that no one would hear them.

"Is there a reason you dragged me out here?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms.

"Bonnie, I know you're upset, but you need to lay low and control your temper for now." Elias pointed out. "Already you're got half the tribe mad at you."

"It's no big matter. They'll see that I'm a better player than those twerps and vote all them off first." Bonnie assured.

"Bonnie, I KNOW they'll vote you off the first chance they get." The actor said. "All I'm asking is that you lay low for now. Don't start something you'll regret because I can tell you right now that you'll be sorry for it later."

Bonnie paused, then nodded. "Okay, wise guy. I'll play by your rules for now." She said.

"_I know she's not the best person in the world, but Bonnie is the BEST person to take to the finals. The reason? Everybody will HATE her by then." Elias said with a smirk. "If I can manage to take her to the merge, I'll have an easier time taking her to the finals. And when that happens, it'll be an easy million dollars for me."_

Back at the campsite, Barney was showing Mel how to make a fire. D'looa, Crane and Jake watched intently as well.

"Okay. You think you know how to do it now?" Barney asked the computer technician.

"I think so." Mel nodded as she tried to make a fire the way Barney taught her to. Sure enough, a fire started in the pit. "H-Hey! I did it!"

"Good to see you're feeling better, Mel." D'looa said with a smile. "Don't worry. We'll be sure to get rid of Bonnie the instant we lose an Immunity Challenge."

"I sure hope so. She really made me feel bad." Mel sighed.

"_I meant what I said. The instant we get the chance, Bonnie is gone. I can safely say that no one here likes her." D'looa explained, looking a little mad. "Mel was obviously hurt by that verbal abuse and I intend to help make Bonnie pay."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

The tribe had managed to get a fire going (after prying the flint from Sandy's hands) and were currently sitting around it on the log-benches around the pit. Needless to say, the team spirit was pretty high after winning the first challenge.

"We'll need to be prepared for the Immunity Challenge tomorrow." Reginald said. "I think we can all agree that our opposition will be twice as determined to beat us."

"Yeah. Our first victory was great, but we can't get overconfident." Tork added. "We have to remember that this challenge was just focused around jumping off a cliff and nothing physical. They have a strongman and a few of their members look pretty fast."

"_I've noticed that Reggie and Tork seem to be hanging around each other a fair bit and agree with whatever the other says." Marty pointed out. "If you ask me, I think those two have already started an alliance. While alliances are good to get you by in the game, they spell trouble for everyone else the instant the merge hits. We'll have to let this play out for now…"_

"You worry too much." Shee'Na said simply. "Need I remind you that I am just as strong as that man on the other tribe?"

"Strength doesn't win everything, Shee'Na." Tork reminded. "In this game, what a person needs to get ahead is strategy."

"Hey, I'm all for strategy, but I'd say we've got it pretty good." Jonathan supplied with a smirk. "I'm sure that the other team's struggling to get a fire going without flint."

"And they looked pretty dysfunctional to begin with because of that blonde woman's outburst." Nikko added.

Zoe shuddered. "She scares me. I'm just glad she's not on our team." She said.

"Yeah. Then again, she may bring their tribe down enough for us to win other challenges." Lilah pointed out.

Sandy was rocking back and forth in her seat, curled into a ball with her arms wrapped around her legs. "You kidding? That girl's got nothing on a few people I know from back home." She piped up. "If they were still alive and were brought on this show, I think the tribe they would be on would have killed them themselves."

"Uh…If they were still alive?" Marty asked. "What happened?"

"I don't think you wanna know."

Soon, it was night again. Everyone on both teams were fast asleep, preparing for the day ahead, knowing what was coming next.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 3)**

Unlike the previous day, almost everyone was up early, ready for anything. The only exception was once again Angie, whom was still fast asleep in the shelter. As of now, the tribe had yet to get treemail.

Barney whistled as he attempted to get another fire going. He had one done in seconds and the pit was once again lit up.

"How're ya able ta do that so fast, mate?" Jake asked. "Ya taught Mel and she took a little bit ta get a fire going last night. Even Crane and Ah've tried ta get a fire goin' since then, but no luck."

"It just takes a little bit of practice." Barney assured. "Yes, it's a little harder without flint, but if you do it right, it takes just as fast to start a fire."

"How is Mel, anyway?"

"Feeling a little better from what I can tell." Barney nodded. "D'looa would know for sure."

Elias came walking over, looking a little mad. "Can someone please tell me why that cat is still asleep?" He asked, jerking his thumb in the sleeping Angie's direction. "She should be up with the rest of us."

"_Ah'll admit that Crane is right in saying there's somthin' about Elias not ta trust, but Ah had ta admit that he 'ad a point." Jake said. "Angie really 'adn't been doing a lot around the camp since we built the shelter. Ah dunno why she isn't pitchin' in a lot and sleepin' in…"_

"Maybe she's just a heavy sleeper where she comes from?" Jake shrugged.

"She needs to step it up if she wants to stay in the game, though." Elias grunted. "This lazy attitude of hers won't get her anywhere." Looking down at Barney, he continued. "You would know first hand. You had to jump off the cliff with her under your arm to get her to jump."

Barney paused, then sighed. "Yeah. You're right. She's not really the biggest team player, but at least she's nice as opposed to Bonnie." He admitted.

"Indeed, but if that's her only saving grace, she'll have a lot of trouble." Elias said.

"Well, we've got an Immunity Challenge today." Jake supplied. "Maybe she'll prove herself then."

"For her sake, I would hope so."

"Dudes and dudettes!!"

Everyone (even Angie, whom was woken up by the outcry) turned to see Kida running over.

"Dude! We've seriously got some treemail!" Kida announced. "I think this may be the Immunity Challenge and stuff!"

"What's it say?" Crane asked.

"'Follow the directions to your first Immunity Challenge'." Kida read. "'Hopefully, you all work as a team'."

Everyone nearby paused and looked at Bonnie, whom was standing aside.

"We're so screwed." Crane said flatly.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 3)**

Nikko rubbed his head as he stepped out of the shelter. He was apparently the last one awake, as everyone else was already up and about.

"Took you long enough to wake up." Jonathan noted.

"Sorry, but I couldn't get a lot of sleep because of someone's snoring." Nikko groaned. "I still don't know whom it was."

"It may have been the monkey I took to bed with me." Sandy supplied.

Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and cast unusual glances at the black-haired girl.

"You brought a MONKEY to bed?" Marty asked. "Is that what was pawing at my head during the middle of the night?"

"I can't sleep without something furry to cuddle." Sandy shrugged. "I just thought you guys would understand."

"_This isn't good. A couple of us, myself included, didn't get a lot of sleep last night because of Sandy's little makeshift 'teddy bear'." Nikko admitted with a sigh. "I have a feeling that if we lose today's Immunity Challenge, it will be one of the sleep-deprived that costs us."_

"Well, ignoring that for a minute, we all need to be ready." Reginald said. "I have a feeling that the other team got better sleep than us."

"If that's the case, we'll need to rely on our strongest players to help us through here." Tork said as he looked around. "Uh…Speaking of which, where's Shee'Na?"

"She and Lilah went to check for treemail." Zoe explained, jerking her thumb off in the direction of the treemail box.

Meanwhile, Shee'Na and Lilah were walking over to the treemail box to see if they had gotten a challenge yet.

Lilah reached into the box and pulled out a letter. "Hey! Treemail!" She exclaimed. "Let's show it to the others!"

"I'm definitely hoping it'll be something physical." Shee'Na said with a smirk.

"_Lilah impressed me at the cliff challenge. I could tell that she didn't want to jump, but she did anyway. I have to admire someone with guts even when they're not physically strong." Shee'Na explained. "This is a surprise for me to say, but I think this is the first time I can say that I've befriended a non-Klingon. That little elven girl could prove to be a surprise for everyone if she can help us win these challenges."_

"We've got treemail, guys!" Lilah cheered as she and Shee'Na raced over to the others.

After everyone else was gathered around, Lilah opened the treemail and read the letter aloud.

"Work as a team?"Jonathan asked, an eyebrow raised. "I think this may put us on an even playing field."

"What makes you say that?" Zoe asked. "They've got that angry woman."

"But WE'VE got the crazy woman." Jonathan replied simply, pointing at Sandy.

Sandy was currently inspecting her hand. "I wonder why our fingers only bend one way and not the other…" She paused in thought.

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Jonathan." Reginald shook his head. "Definitely an even playing field."

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The two tribes walked onto the beach and found the coloured mats again. Stepping onto their team mats, the tribes were awaiting orders from the host.

"Welcome to your first Immunity Challenge, contestants. This challenge's premise is fairly simple, but complicated at the same time." SSBFreak said. "This challenge is basically a teamwork challenge. One member of each team will stand behind one of these gates and wait until the end of the challenge. Three members of each team will move these boxes of puzzle pieces over to the blank puzzles a good ways away. Three more members of the tribe will then construct the puzzle. Once the puzzle is completed, two keys will be given to the team. The remaining two members will rush over to the trapped member and use the keys to unlock the gate. The two members will have to work together on turning the cranks provided because it requires them to work together in order to open the gate. Once the gate is opened, the trapped member of each tribe will race towards the finish line. Whomever crosses the finish ling first is the winner."

The members of the tribes looked out around the beach and saw six boxes of large puzzle pieces sitting a ways away. The empty puzzles were off to the side, and the gates were a ways away from that. It basically looked like a big triangle.

"Before we start, I understand Nago was able to start a fire without the use of flint?" SSBFreak said.

Mel nodded. "Barney was able to get one going."

"Great work. As a reward, you'll find some flint back at your camp when the challenge is over."

SSBFreak paused and looked at the entire cast.

"I'll let you all decide whom will be doing what for each tribe." SSBFreak said.

The positions were quickly decided. Angie and Zoe were standing behind the gates as everyone else was preparing to start the challenge.

"Okay. For Immunity, get ready!" SSBFreak prepared, giving a pause for effect. "Go!"

The first six contestants raced towards the boxes of puzzle pieces. Crane was leading the pack but Sandy and Marty were right behind him. Barney would have liked to go faster, but Shee'Na was racing right beside him and he was starting to get scared. Bonnie brought up the rear, looking like she was jogging more than running.

Crane quickly reached the boxes and grabbed one of them, preparing to run when Barney and Bonnie arrived. Marty arrived a second before Sandy did and yanked a box out of the way in time for the black-haired girl to dive right past him, having tried to grab it herself. Barney and Shee'Na arrived at the same time and grabbed boxes. However, because Crane and Barney had to wait for Bonnie, the Temlin Tribe managed to get ahead of them.

"Hurry up, Bonnie! They're ahead of us!" Barney urged.

"Shut up!" Bonnie snapped as she grabbed a box and started running over to the empty puzzles.

The Temlin Tribe raced ahead of the others, but were cut short when Marty felt a searing pain in his back. The scrawny koopa roared in pain as he collapsed, taking the box of pieces with him.

"Hey! The koopa kid collapsed!" Sandy pointed out, having looked over her shoulder.

Shee'Na looked back and stopped. "Koopa, keep going!" She ordered. "Get up and get running again!"

Marty clenched his teeth as he staggered to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back. Marty finally got moving again, but by then, the Nago Tribe had passed them.

Barney, Bonnie and Crane arrived at the puzzle stand and placed their boxes down. "Get going, guys! We've got a lead!" Crane said.

"No problem. The pieces are large enough." Elias noted as he quickly pulled some pieces from a box.

"Here, Mel!" Jake said as he handed Mel a box and picked up one himself. "Ya work with that one! Ah'll take this one!"

The Nago Tribe had managed to put a few pieces in place when the Temlin Tribe arrived at the puzzle stand. "Get to work! We're already behind!" Shee'Na shouted at Reginald.

"…Yes. I'm aware of that." Reginald said as he took some pieces from one of the boxes.

"Try to put together the border first!" Tork suggested as he grabbed a few pieces himself. "That'll help us put it together faster!"

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Nikko assured.

The two teams worked furiously to complete the puzzle the fastest. Reginald and Elias, the smartest of the two trios, were working the fastest and were making the least amount of second-guesses, but since Nago had a little bit of an edge at the start (and Temlin second-guessing too much), they managed to finish the puzzle first. Two keys were released from the puzzle box.

Mel quickly picked up the two keys and handed them to D'looa and Kida. "Go, girls! Release Angie so she can get going!" She urged.

"No sweat, dudette!" Kida replied as she and D'looa raced over to the gates.

"Hurry up!" Sandy said, jumping up and down. "They're getting away!"

"We're finished! We're finished!" Nikko insisted as he picked up two keys and gave them to Lilah and Jonathan.

Jonathan raced over to the gates, but looked over his shoulder and saw Lilah struggling to keep up. "Lilah, come on! This is the last chance we have!" He shouted.

"I'm coming!" Lilah panted as she tried to catch up to Jonathan.

In the meantime, D'looa and Kida arrived at the gate holding Angie in. The two alien girls jammed the keys into the keyholes on the two mechanisms, unlocking them. Once they heard a click, they grabbed the two cranks (one on either side of the gate), and started turning.

"Man! Why is this so hard to turn?!" Kida asked.

"We have to turn it at the same time, Kida!" D'looa replied.

"Guys, hurry up!" Angie urged. "I can see the other two coming!"

Jonathan and Lilah finally arrived at the gate containing Zoe and got to work. The two grabbed the cranks and started turning them.

"One, two, three, crank!" Jonathan counted as he and Lilah turned the cranks at the same time.

"Keep going! Keep going!" Zoe urged (starting to emit a stench). "We can catch up to them!"

The two teams continued to work at trying to open up the gates containing the final member of the tribe. In the end, both gates opened at almost the same time.

Angie and Zoe were off running down the beach, but Angie surprised everyone by bursting into a sprint at ludicrous speeds. Zoe tried to catch the yellow cat, but it was no use. Angie zoomed over the finish line, finishing the challenge.

"Angie wins! Nago wins Immunity!" SSBFreak announced.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning the first Immunity Challenge, Nago. You are all safe tonight." SSBFreak said before turning to the other tribe. "Temlin, on the other hand, will vote someone off at Tribal Council tonight." Smirking, SSBFreak continued. "Normally, this is where I would dismiss you all, but Nago? You can kidnap one member of Temlin for the night, saving them from elimination. Choose carefully."

The Nago Tribe spoke amongst themselves for a second, eyeing the other tribe. After a few seconds, they turned back to the host.

"For strategy reasons, we choose Marty." Elias said.

Marty groaned as he hobbled over to the Nago mat, holding his back.

"Marty is safe tonight, and will rejoin his tribe at the next challenge. Temlin Tribe, I will see you all at Tribal Council tonight." SSBFreak said. "You can all head back to camp."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Needless to say, the tribe was pretty upset at the results of the first Immunity Challenge when they arrived back at camp. The tribe was spread out, talking with each other.

"Okay. This puts a damper on things." Reginald said as he spoke with Tork. "We were going to get rid of Marty."

"Yeah. He's definitely one of the weaker members we have." Tork nodded. "Well, whom is there to vote for?"

"We need Shee'Na and Sandy for their strength and unpredictability. No question about that." Reginald said. "Jonathan's fairly strong and Zoe's got a lot of determination despite her stench."

"That just leaves Lilah and Nikko." Tork added, folding his arms. "How are we going to do this?"

"We should get rid of Lilah." Reginald suggested. "I think Nikko may be more useful for the time being."

"So how are we going to convince the others to vote for her?" Tork asked. "I think our only real potential votes will come from Jonathan and Zoe."

"Let's talk to them and see if we can get them to vote with us." Reginald finished.

Meanwhile, another trio was having a similar conversation over by the treemail box.

"I can't believe we lost…" Lilah sighed.

"What's done is done." Shee'Na said, placing her hand on Lilah's shoulder. "We now need to focus on whom to get rid of."

"I nominate Reggie. He's kinda creepy." Sandy said. "And believe me, I KNOW creepy."

"We can't. The rabbit's one of the smartest people we have." Shee'Na said.

"How about Nikko?" Lilah suggested.

"…Indeed. He hasn't really contributed much as of yet." Shee'Na said. "Shall we do it?"

"I'm up for it, but we'll need one more vote to turn it into a tie and two for a majority." Sandy said. "Maybe I can threaten a few people and-"

"Please, Sandy. Don't." Lilah said. "We just need to see if we can get a little more help."

"Looks like the rabbit and platypus are in an alliance." Shee'Na said. "I say we try talking to the other human and the skunk."

"_Okay. I was honestly thinking I'd be going home, but the next thing I know, two alliances approach me with different targets in mind. Talk about a break." Jonathan said with a smirk. "I'm not sure whom I'm going to vote for, but I have to say that it won't be a great loss either way. Nikko and Lilah haven't really done much yet anyway."_

"_I can't believe that the survival of one member may lie with me." A suddenly very-sad Zoe said. "I really don't want to vote for either one, but I need to stick with someone so I won't be the next target. Man. No matter what, I'm really going to regret my decision."_

**(Tribal Council)**

Eight contestants entered Tribal Council, carrying lit torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start.

"Welcome to the first Tribal Council of the season, but I'm sure that you all would rather be anywhere BUT here right now." SSBFreak said. "One of you will be eliminated tonight after everyone votes." He looked at the tribe and continued. "Jonathan, you guys won the Reward Challenge. Did you expect to lose the all-important Immunity Challenge?"

"We told ourselves not to get too confident after we won the cliff-diving challenge. I think some of us just took our competition for granted." Jonathan shrugged. "I put some of the blame on the fact that some of us weren't feeling very well."

"Nikko, do you agree?" SSBFreak asked.

"Yes. A few of us couldn't get a lot of sleep the night before and Marty apparently threw out his back during the challenge." Nikko nodded. "We just haven't had a very lucky day."

"Tork, do you know whom is going home tonight?"

"There are two potential targets." Tork replied. "The problem is that there are TWO swing votes tonight and we don't know how this will end. I guess the votes will show us how the dice are rolled."

"Lilah, do you know whom the targets are tonight?"

"Yeah. It's either going to be me or Nikko." Lilah sighed. "It sucks, but that's how things are at right now."

"I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Jonathan, you're up."

Jonathan stood up and approached the voting table, which was just outside of the Tribal Council area. "Man. This is tough." He said as he wrote a name down and placed it in the jar.

Shee'Na approached the table and showed her card to the camera. "I just hope that the others vote for you as well." She said, having voted for Nikko.

Tork walked up to the table and wrote out a name. "It's nothing personal. But you're the weakest player we have at the moment." He apologized, having voted for Lilah.

Reginald walked up to the table, wrote down a name and placed his vote.

Nikko walked up to the table and wrote down a name. "It's either you or me." He said, having voted for Lilah.

Sandy grinned as she walked up to the counter and wrote down a name, placing it in the jar.

Lilah wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "I really feel bad about this…" She said, voting for Nikko.

Zoe sighed as she wrote down a name. "This sucks. This sucks so bad…" She said.

After everyone voted, SSBFreak took the jar and looked at the tribe. "Once I read the names, the member with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He said as he reached into the jar. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; Lilah." Lilah didn't look too surprised, but bit her lip.

"Lilah." The hylian girl again didn't look too surprised, but sat on the edge of her seat.

"Nikko." The elder elf wasn't very surprised either. He folded his arms and sat back.

"Nikko. We're now tied at two votes each between Lilah and Nikko." Nikko and Lilah exchanged looks nervously.

"Nikko." Nikko started sweating.

"Lilah. We are again tied at three votes for Lilah and Nikko." Now everyone was wondering how the votes were going to go.

"…Lilah" Shee'Na's eyes widened as Lilah sighed sadly. "Last vote and first person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"...Lilah. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

Lilah nodded silently and stood up, accepting her fate. "Kick butt, Shee'Na…" Lilah whispered as she took her torch and approached the host, leaving an unbelieving Klingon on the seats. Lilah finally reached the host, whom held a snuffer in his hand.

"Lilah, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Lilah's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"I'm sure I'll be seeing one of you soon." Lilah said. "Hopefully, it won't be Shee'Na or Sandy."

With that, Lilah was gone, leaving Tribal Council as the first one eliminated. Once Lilah was gone, SSBFeak turned back to the remaining tribe members. "One has fallen, and fourteen more will follow before we have the finals." SSBFreak said. "If any of you want to make it there, I would hope that you won't be back here again before the merge. You can all head back to camp."

As everyone stood up, Shee'Na simply sat there, still in disbelief at what had just happened. When she finally clued in, Shee'Na stood up and grabbed her torch, leaving Tribal Council after the others. She refused to let the rest of her team see her cry…

"_I'm bummed to be the first one eliminated. I guess it just wasn't meant to happen. Maybe if I had been stronger in the challenges, I wouldn't be here…" Lilah sighed. "Shee'Na and Sandy, I hope you guys outlast everyone else. If anything, make it to the finals for me, will you?"_

**Voting History:**

**Lilah – Reginald, Tork, Nikko, Jonathan and Zoe**

**Nikko – Shee'Na, Lilah and Sandy**

_Author's Note: Lilah definitely had skills to take her deep into the game, but I just found her lacking in character compared to the others and she was quickly overshadowed by the others. This made her the first one eliminated. I always feel sorry for the first one off (unless the person is a jerk) and now is no different._


	3. Days 4 to 6

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Up until the tribe got back to camp, everyone was silent. Once they got back, Reginald, Tork and Nikko were quick to turn in and go to sleep. However, the others weren't quite there yet…

"How could you vote off Lilah instead of that old elf?!" Shee'Na roared at Jonathan and Zoe. "What made you do it?!"

"_In all my life, I have never befriended someone outside of my own species. I honestly thought I was going to get along with Lilah…" Shee'Na muttered before narrowing her eyes. "And then those fools decide to take her away!! Lilah, if you're watching this, I'll avenge you if I have to tear this tribe apart from the inside out…"_

"I just thought that Nikko would have been more useful in the future." Jonathan insisted, holding his hands in front of himself defensively. "You saw how Lilah was struggling to keep up with me at the Immunity Challenge!"

"I felt bad voting for her! If the other tribe hadn't kidnapped Marty, I would have voted for him!" Zoe added, hiding behind Jonathan slightly. "I just really thought we'd be better off without her!"

"Is that what that idiotic rabbit placed in your minds?!" Shee'Na shouted. "Lilah had much more potential!!"

"Uh…Gee, it sure is getting late!" Sandy said nervously, stepping into the conversation. "What say we go to bed and call it a day?"

Shee'Na looked at Sandy before reluctantly decided to comply with the crazy woman's wishes. Casting a dark glance at Jonathan and Zoe, the Klingon stalked off towards the shelter.

"_Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but it honestly felt like the best choice at the time." Jonathan shook his head. "Now that I think about it, Nikko probably deserved to go more than Lilah, but now Zoe and I have an enraged Klingon breathing down our necks. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope the Nago Tribe kidnaps me next just so I don't have to deal with Shee'Na…"_

Zoe looked up at Jonathan. "Did we just screw up?" She asked.

"Yeah…Yeah, we screwed up…" Jonathan nodded.

**(Nago Tribe; Day 4)**

Marty groaned as he slowly sat up, holding his head. Slowly standing to his feet (and wincing at the pain in his back), Marty stepped out of Nago's shelter, walking past Angie's still-sleeping form. He walked over to Crane, Mel and Jake, whom were talking.

"How's your back?" Crane asked upon seeing Marty.

"No better. I thought it'd be okay by the morning." Marty sighed.

"Ouch. I hope it gets better soon." Mel said.

"Seriously, why'd you guys kidnap me? At least if I would have been voted off, I would have gotten medical attention." Marty said.

"In all honesty, we were against it." Jake shrugged. "Elias was the one ta put the idea in everyone's 'eads."

"He probably thought it was for strategy so your tribe would be easier to beat." Crane sighed. "I still think that shady actor gives me the creeps."

"_Yesterday, Marty threw out his back during the Immunity Challenge and it's apparently been hurting ever since." Mel said, folding her arms. "Elias apparently saw a golden opportunity to handicap the other tribe and saved him from elimination so the Temlin Tribe could be beat at the next Immunity Challenge. While that's a good strategy, I can't help but feel bad for Marty. Now he has to put up with this pain for another three days."_

Meanwhile, Bonnie glanced over at Marty from afar and growled. "Why did we let him stay in the shelter?" She asked aloud. "He's not part of the tribe. We should have just left him underneath a tree or something."

"Because no one else would want to do that." D'looa replied sharply. "You wouldn't want that done to you, would you?"

"Hold your tongue, freakshow." Bonnie snapped. "You don't have the right to talk to me like that." She finished as she walked away from D'looa.

"And you're not the queen of the world, you hotheaded wretch." D'looa muttered as Kida and Barney walked over. "Oh, I can't wait until we lose an Immunity Challenge. We need to get rid of that creep as soon as we can."

"Hey, I'm right there with you, dude." Kida nodded. "She's giving off all these bad vibes and stuff."

"I told Elias to try to calm her down after we lost the Reward Challenge." Barney shrugged. "I guess she didn't listen."

"_Oh, man. Barney got that shady dude to talk to Bonnie? I dunno if that was a good choice, man." Kida said. "There's something about that Elias guy that makes me think he's always up to something and stuff. Getting him to talk to Bonnie may only lead to bad things for everyone else. Who knows what that dude said to her…"_

**(Temlin Tribe; Day 4)**

"What do you think we should do, now?" Shee'Na asked Sandy, arms folded. "The rabbit, platypus and elf are in an alliance and we're in the minority."

"Our only chances are with Jonathan and Zoe." Sandy shrugged, displaying a rare case of sanity. "I know that you don't like them because of what they did to Lilah, but if we wanna get further, we need their help."

Shee'Na seemed surprised at the rational answer that came from Sandy's mouth, but eventually nodded. "Okay. I guess you have a point. With their help, we could turn things around into a majority." She admitted.

"_That woman has more surprises than I thought. I thought she would be nothing but a package of insanity the instant I saw her." Shee'Na said, genuinely surprised. "Maybe this won't be so bad. She can help me get revenge on that rabbit if she keeps this up."_

"…_So there I was, sitting on the floor in the shape of a human pretzel with my foot lodged about six inches down my throat. All I could think of was how I was going to get out of this." Sandy said energetically to the cameraman. "So I rolled over and reached out with my left hand because my right arm was currently wrapped around my waist and grabbed my tazer. One shock later and I was free, reminding myself never to take those yoga videos again."_

Meanwhile, the main alliance of the tribe was sitting by the fire pit, in discussion.

"Shee'Na looked pretty mad this morning." Tork said. "I think she may target one of us first."

"I was expecting that." Reginald agreed. "Apparently, she was closer to Lilah than we thought."

"Well, what'd you expect?" Nikko challenged. "Klingons don't exactly make friends very easily and we just separated her from the only one she had here."

"I'll admit that it wasn't the brightest idea." Reginald said. "I wasn't expecting her to take it as hard as she has, and an angry Klingon isn't exactly what I want to wake up to in the morning."

"Yeah. She could be hovering over you with a Klingon battle axe or something." Tork supplied.

"Thank you SO much for that input, Tork." The intelligent rabbit sighed. "Well, the important thing is that we're in the majority now."

"That is unless Shee'Na and Sandy manage to convince Jonathan and Zoe to join them to gang up on us." Nikko piped up. "Those two are both the swing votes and I have a feeling that's exactly what they're planning."

"Indeed. When the tribe is divided, it's ALWAYS the swing vote that decides the result." Reginald nodded.

"_I hate to say it, but Nikko was right. Our plan to get to the merge and pick the others off is severely depending on Jonathan and Zoe. If they don't vote with us, we'll be the ones getting picked off." Reginald admitted. "I need to re-think my plan and try to come up with different solutions on how to get far in the game, especially since Shee'Na will be out for my head since voting off her friend was pretty much my idea."_

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the tribe were sitting on the beach, just high enough to avoid waves hitting them.

"Hey, Zoe?"

"Yeah, Jonathan?"

"I just thought of something." Jonathan said, casting the skunk a glance. "Both alliances approached us for votes, right?"

"Yeah, they did." Zoe nodded. "I was honestly expecting to go home before they showed up."

"Me too." The human added. "But here's the thing I realized. Even though we aren't in any alliance, we have power."

Zoe tilted her head. "Huh?"

"We're both swing votes." Jonathan said, forming a grin. "No one will target us because they need our votes to vote off someone in the other alliance!"

Zoe's face lit up. "Oh, wow!" She exclaimed. "I never thought about that!"

"If we play our cards right and remain swing votes, we'll fly under the radar!" Jonathan continued.

"And go straight through until the merge!" Zoe said in realization.

"Now you've got it." Jonathan said with a smirk. "Whaddya say, Zoe? Wanna stay away from the alliances for a while?"

"You bet!" Zoe cheered as she and Jonathan exchanged a high-five.

"_This is awesome! I never realized I could hold so much power without being in an alliance! Jonathan and I can go real far in the game just by giving other people votes!" Zoe cheered. "I just hope that the others don't decide to gang up on us for a while, because we would easily be outnumbered…"_

**(Nago Tribe)**

Smacking her lips a couple of times and scratching her head, Angie emerged from the shelter as (once again) the last one awake. She suddenly saw the other young members of the tribe looking at her sternly.

"You finally decided to wake up?" Crane asked, folding his arms.

Angie yawned. "Yeah. I guess I'm just a heavy sleeper." She admitted.

"You've been sleeping in every day since we finished the shelter, Angie." Mel pointed out. "You don't want to get eliminated just because you're lazy."

"It's about time you woke up." Elias snapped as he stalked over to Angie, towering over her. "This is the third time in a row that you've slept in. All I can say is that you'd better pull your weight around camp if you want to stick around."

"H-Hey! I won the Immunity Challenge because of my speed!" Angie insisted. "You guys need me!"

Elias paused, then sighed. "Very well. I'll buy it for now, but I should hope for your sake that you stop being so lazy around camp." He said.

"_Actually, that's my whole plan. You see, whenever I'm at camp, I'll be as lazy as possible, but during a challenge I'll give 110%." Angie said with a smirk. "This way, people will dislike me but keep me around because I help them win challenges. And when the merge comes, people will dislike me enough to take me to the finals because they know they'd win against me."_

Having heard what Angie said from aside, D'looa looked at Barney and Jake. "She has a point. She DID win us that challenge. I was honestly not expecting that speed to come from her." She noted.

"Ya think that makes her worthwhile ta keep around even though she's lazy?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Somehow, I think that's exactly what she's planning." D'looa sighed. "She does well in the challenges as an excuse to be lazy."

"Seems like a smart plan." Barney shrugged. "Hey, as long as she helps us win challenges, I'm happy."

"Yeah. I guess that's the main thing."

Suddenly, Kida came walking onto the scene. "Hey, dudes? I'm just gonna go grab some grub. You want me to bring back anything for you guys?" She asked.

Everyone stood in silence before looking at the Rilgarian surfer. "Food?" Elias asked. "What are you talking about?"

Kida laughed. "Dude, we're on an island of trees!" She replied. "There's gotta be fruit and coconut trees everywhere!"

"How did we not think of that sooner?" Crane asked with wide eyes.

"I dunno, but it sounds like an idea." Jake replied with a smirk. "Ah'm pretty hungry."

"For once, I agree." Bonnie nodded. "I don't care what type of food it is. Right now I'd eat anything."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

As the Nago Tribe left to get some food, the Temlin Tribe was experiencing similar problems as they were scattered around the camp.

Tork's stomach started growling. "I'm getting pretty hungry." He said. "Any suggestions on where to get some food?"

"The only thing I can think of is the fruit trees around the island." Reginald supplied. "I don't know about anything else."

Nikko picked up a stick and started sharpening it on a rock. "Reginald, that's not our only source of food. Remember that we're close to a beach?" The elder elf quizzed. "We can easily get fish."

"It'll be hard catching one without a fishing rod." Tork pointed out. "What are you doing?"

"Making a spear." Nikko replied. "It'll help me catch some fish."

With that, Nikko approached the beach and stopped near the water, holding his weapon in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Shee'Na asked as she and Sandy came over.

"I'm going to catch a fish for us to eat." Nikko replied. "It should be enough to keep us happy until we win food in a Reward Challenge."

Sandy laughed. "That's not the way to catch fish, old timer!" She said. "Watch and learn."

Sandy stepped into the water and bent over, holding her hands out as if ready to grab something at a second's notice. She stayed perfectly still for several seconds.

"Uh…Sandy?" Shee'Na asked.

"Shh! I must have complete silence if this is going to work!" Sandy replied without taking her eyes off of the water.

Jonathan and Zoe walked onto the scene to see Sandy bent over the water and Nikko preparing to throw a makeshift spear into the water. They exchanged confused looks. "Uh…Should we even know what happened while we were gone?" Jonathan asked.

"They're trying to catch fish." Reginald replied. "Why don't the two of you make yourselves useful and go see if you can find some fruit in the jungle?"

Again, Jonathan and Zoe exchanged looks. "Better than here for a while." Zoe said, trying to avoid looking at Shee'Na.

"Yeah. We should let some people cool off for a bit." Jonathan agreed as the two left to go into the jungle.

"_I had to agree with Zoe. Anywhere was better than the campsite at that moment. I could feel the cold glare Shee'Na was giving us and I figured that it would be best to leave her alone for now." Jonathan admitted. "In order for Zoe and I to get on that Klingon's good side, we need to act smart and fast."_

**(Nago Tribe)**

"Sweet! Mangos!" Marty cheered as he grabbed a couple of low-hanging fruit to keep himself from straining his back. "Not as good as the Super Mushrooms from back home, but still pretty good."

Kida, proving to be an excellent climber, was already up a coconut tree and looking down at D'looa. "Catch, dudette!" She called out as she started knocking coconuts off the tree.

D'looa caught a couple of coconuts that Kida dropped down to her, but one of them was thrown a little awkwardly and it landed directly onto the head of an unsuspecting Bonnie.

Bonnie roared as she spun around, feeling her head. "Who did that?! I demand to know who did that!" She shouted.

"Oh! Sorry, dude! My aim was a little off for that one! I was aiming towards D'looa, man!" Kida called out.

"Just don't let it happen again!" Bonnie threatened as she went back to collecting fruit.

"_I don't care if that was an accident. Seeing Bonnie getting hit on the head made my day." D'looa said with a smirk. "Kida sure knows how to have fun, even when she doesn't mean it."_

Eventually, everyone had collected a fair amount of fruit and made their way back to camp to eat, everyone looking much more satisfied.

"This will definitely give us energy for the next challenge." Jake said with a grin. "We'll be able ta do a lot better when we've got the energy ta keep us goin'."

"I still don't see why we had to stop picking fruit. We could have collected a whole lot more." Bonnie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Because if we leave the fruit on the tree, it'll stay fresher." Elias explained. "This fruit will do us for a couple of days, but we can always go back for more when we need some."

"I just hope my tribe managed to find some food as well." Marty mused, more to himself.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"We got some fruit!" Zoe cheered as she and Jonathan re-entered camp with a good amount of fruit. "There's a treasure trove of trees back there! We won't have to worry about going hungry!"

"Yeah. This is definitely a good thing." Jonathan nodded as he looked at Shee'Na. "Uh…How are Nikko and Sandy doing?"

"See for yourself." Shee'Na pointed out.

Jonathan and Zoe looked at the beach and saw Nikko trying to spear a fish, having no luck. Sandy, on the other hand, was still bent over the water, in the same position she was in since she started.

"It's no use." Nikko shook his head. "Those fish are too fast for me."

Suddenly, Sandy shoved her hands into the water and pulled them out a split-second later. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw that the crazy woman was now holding a giant, thrashing fish in her hands.

"S-Sandy?! How the crap did you do that?!" Jonathan asked as he almost dropped the fruit he was carrying.

"Holy shazbot! That thing is huge!!" Zoe said in awe.

"Uh…Sandy, where exactly did you learn to catch fish?" Reginald asked, looking the most surprised he had ever been in the competition yet.

"A couple of bears taught me." Sandy replied with a smile as she carried her catch back to the campgrounds.

_Reginald sat in front of the camera, with wide eyes and in complete silence. "…Okay. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting that. Not even from Sandy." The white Rabbid finally said. "But she managed to do it anyway. She caught a huge fish big enough to feed all of us with her bare hands. There's definitely more to that woman than meets the eye."_

After cooking the fish over an open fire in the fire pit, everyone on the tribe had eaten their fill of fish and fruit, looking satisfied.

"I think it's safe to say that we've got enough energy for the next challenge now." Tork said with a smirk. "Now that we've eaten, we'll be able to work harder and hopefully beat out the Nago Tribe."

"If they haven't found food, though." Zoe piped up. "There are a lot of fruit-bearing trees on the island."

"She's got a point." Jonathan shrugged. "They could have eaten just as well as we did."

"Then I propose we get as much rest as we can for tomorrow." Reginald suggested. "It'll be getting late soon and we need to be ready for anything that host throws at us."

Eventually, everyone was once again off to sleep, putting an end to day four of the contest.

**(Nago Tribe; Day 5)**

After waking up, Mel emerged from the shelter and looked around the camp. She quickly saw D'looa sitting at the fire pit, looking deep in thought as she munched on a mango. The computer technician went over to the Twi'lek jedi and sat down on one of the logs opposite D'looa.

"You're up kinda early, D'looa."Mel noted.

"I've been thinking about our choice to kidnap Marty despite his back injury." D'looa admitted. "I'm really regretting it now."

"I was against the idea from the start." Mel sighed, shaking her head. "Going another three days without getting it looked at will just make it worse to the point where he'll be forced out of the game."

"I know. I don't know what I was thinking when I actually agreed to that actor's plan." D'looa said, hanging her head. "It's just that it sounded like so much sense when Elias pitched the idea."

"I'm beginning to think Crane is right about Elias." Mel said, nervously rubbing her head. "I think we should get rid of him before he hurts the other tribe even more."

"We can't. He's the smart one of the tribe." D'looa replied. "We need his intelligence to get us through to the merge."

"What're ya girls talkin' about?" A new voice asked.

The girls looked over and saw Jake walking over. "We're wondering if Elias is really trustworthy." D'looa replied. "He comes up with good plans, but this one just seemed so…Cruel."

"Ey, Ah'm right there wit' ya." Jake insisted. "Sometimes, Ah just dunno what that guy's thinkin'."

"_It's a little something called strategy. Why can't these people get it through their heads? I was only focusing on the tribe in kidnapping that injured koopa." Elias sighed. "The more challenges we win, the more of us make the merge. They should be thankful that I came up with the idea. I just can't understand what the big deal is."_

Soon, everyone was up. Even Angie had managed to get herself up with everyone (through a little prodding from Jake and Crane). Everyone was once again scattered around the camp, Marty sitting on one of the logs by the fire pit, tenderly feeling his back.

"Your back still sore, man?" Barney asked as he approached the injured koopa.

"Yeah. Feels like it's gotten worse." Marty groaned. "It's not going to interfere with me doing challenges, though. It's just going to freaking HURT."

"Well, we'll probably have a challenge soon. You'll be reunited with your tribe then." Barney supplied. "Whom do you think got voted out?"

"Either Nikko or Lilah. Aside from me, I think they're the weaker ones." Marty replied. He was met with a blank stare. "Uh…The two elves."

"Oh! Sorry about that. I don't know anyone on your tribe as well as mine." Barney replied. "I guess I forgot their names."

"We have treemail." Bonnie called out as she approached with a letter. "It's for the next challenge. We need to go to the beach from the looks of things."

"Great. Now I'll be able to go back to my own tribe." Marty nodded as he got to his feet.

"The sooner we drop him, the better." Bonnie said with a shrug. D'looa and Barney glared daggers at the blonde boxer.

"_Okay, seriously! What is WRONG with that woman?!" D'looa asked. "Did she have a poor childhood or something?! Every time she opens her mouth, I want to rip her vocal cords out!"_

"_Bonnie is really starting to irritate me. Truth be told, I have someone with a similar attitude as her back where I come from. Her name's Lilly Pendragon and she's even worse than Bonnie." Barney said, starting to look a little mad. "Since I'm nice, I'll give her a little more time to redeem herself and see if she can alter that personality of hers."_

**(Temlin Tribe; Day 5)**

"I'm quite satisfied with our position." Reginald said with a smirk as he, Tork and Nikko walked to the treemail box. "We outnumber the other alliance three to two and we have two swing votes. Possibly three depending on what Marty's views are."

"But even still, we need both Shee'Na and Sandy." Tork reminded. "If we lose, how are we supposed to get rid of them if we need them?"

"Well, if Marty joins them, then we get rid of him." Reginald replied with a shrug. "I'm sure Jonathan and Zoe would be willing to join us because he was originally our intended target."

"_I didn't want to say this, but I'm also pretty happy with how we're doing. I was really expecting to be voted off, but instead I'm in the majority alliance with a couple of strong players." Nikko admitted. "Tork brought up a good point, though. If we go back to Tribal Council, whom do we vote for? We need Shee'Na and Sandy, and Jonathan and Zoe are valuable swing votes. We're just going to hope that things play out the way we want."_

"Look, the main point is that we have the majority at the moment." Reginald insisted. "We'll start making decisions soon enough, but we'll cross those bridges when we get there."

The three arrived at the treemail box and opened it, pulling out a letter.

"Looks like we have treemail." Nikko noted. "What's it say?"

"'Follow the instructions to your next challenge. Get ready to get wet'." Tork read.

"Another challenge involving water." Reginald nodded. "Well, we won the last one. We could win again. Let's go tell the others."

"_Reginald's smart, but I have a feeling he thinks he knows the game a little too well. He's been the brains for our tribe since day one, and I think he may get a little overconfident with his intelligence." Tork admitted. "I'm in his alliance, so I need to make sure that he doesn't assume too much in this game, because the tides can turn in the blink of an eye."_

"We've got treemail, everyone." Reginald called out. "Looks like we've got another challenge coming up."

"Then we'll be reunited with Marty." Zoe nodded. "You think it's Reward or Immunity?"

"Reward. It's WAY too early for Immunity." Reginald shook his head. "The real question is what the challenge will actually be. The only thing we know is that it involves water."

"I'm sure we'll find that out when we get there." Shee'Na said gruffly as she took the map from Tork. "We shouldn't waste any more time. We should get out there and win this."

The others looked at each other before shrugging and deciding to follow the Klingon woman to the challenge.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The Nago Tribe (plus Marty) were waiting for the Temlin Tribe to show up. In fact, Marty was already standing on his tribe's mat, still holding his back.

"You're looking a little lonely over there, Marty." SSBFreak noted. "Let's bring in the Temlin Tribe."

Marty turned around and saw his tribe coming over. He also saw that a particular elf girl was missing from the crowd.

"Lilah was voted off at the last Tribal Council." SSBFreak explained.

Marty gave a nervous chuckle. "Uh…Hey, guys." He said, knowing that he was probably the original target and the others were forced to vote off Lilah.

Shee'Na cast Marty a dark glare. Marty stepped back and decided to keep his distance from her.

"In this Reward Challenge, we're going to have a test of lung power. Look out into the water." SSBFreak explained as he pointed out into the water. Sitting a ways away from the shore were two bars sticking just above the water. "Everyone will go underwater and try to stay under there for as long as they can. The last person remaining wins the challenge and also wins a fishing rod."

"Like we'll need that." Shee'Na mused, finally forming a smirk as she looked at Sandy.

"Hey, it could help." Sandy gave a shrug.

"Seems like a fairly straightforward challenge." Barney noted.

"Yeah, bro. This sounds totally easy!" Kida nodded.

"Nago, you have one extra member." SSBFreak pointed out. "You have to sit someone out."

"Um…I'll sit out." Angie volunteered. "I hate water. I'd probably only last a few seconds."

"Very well. Survivors, please get out into the water and stand by one of the beams." SSBFreak said.

**(Later…)**

The sixteen contestants (everyone minus Angie) were out in the water and up against their team's beam. Marty's back was still killing him, but he knew he had to endure with it for at least the challenge.

"For Reward, get ready!" SSBFreak called out from the shore. "…Go!"

Everyone held their breath and ducked under the water, starting the Reward Challenge.

Angie waited a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm glad I'm not doing it." The cat noted. "I would definitely not do very well here."

Someone in the water started struggling. Barney emerged from the water, gasping for breath. "I. Freaking. Hate. Water." He gasped in between breaths.

Nikko quickly burst from underneath the water, gasping just as badly as Barney. "My lungs just aren't what they used to be." He lamented.

A few seconds more and Mel came up from underneath the waves, Jake right behind her. "That's a lot 'arder than it looks, mate." Jake gasped.

Zoe quickly emerged and grabbed hold of the bar to pull herself up. "I can't take it anymore." She sighed after catching her breath.

About twenty extra seconds passed before Reginald and Elias came up at the same time. "I can't believe it. I should have taken a bigger breath." Elias shook his head.

About twenty more seconds passed and Sandy shot out of the water, grabbing hold of the bar. "Man! I haven't held my breath that long since I was forced to walk down the perfume aisle at the mall!" She exclaimed.

Bonnie quickly shot out of the water, cursing her luck. "I probably almost had it!" She roared in frustration.

Kida, whom had emerged with her, panted. "Dude, half the contestants are still left." She noted.

"I wasn't talking to you." Bonnie grunted, pushing Kida back under the water before making her way back to shore.

Shee'Na, in the meantime, was gasping for breath while holding onto the bar. She watched the scene and shook her head. "I'm glad I'm not on her team. We wouldn't get anything done at all." She noted.

"You said it." Jonathan, beside her, added.

Another several seconds passed and the remaining contestants were still under the water. "Okay. Here's how we're looking right now." SSBFreak said. "We've been running for a little while now and it's come down to four people. D'looa and Crane are left for Nago, while Tork and Marty are left for Temlin. This could go either way."

Tork suddenly shot out of the water with D'looa right behind him. "Is the contest still going?" The Twi'lek asked in between breaths. "Who's left?"

"Marty and that rudie from your team, it looks like." Tork replied as he made his way back to shore.

The final two contestants were below the surface of the water even longer and everyone was starting to wonder if the challenge would end at all. Suddenly, everyone saw signs of a struggle coming from one of the bars. Everyone looked out into the water…

…And watched as Crane shot out of the water, gasping for breath.

"That's it! Marty's the only one left! Temlin wins Reward!" SSBFreak called out.

Having seen Crane emerge from underwater, Marty shot out of the water and snapped his head back, taking a huge breath. The scrawny koopa held the bar in a death grip, taking breaths rapidly. The Temlin Tribe stared at Marty with wide eyes.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Temlin. This is the second Reward Challenge you guys have won." SSBFreak said as he handed a grateful Marty the fishing rod. "You guys win the coveted fishing rod that will hopefully help you get some more food." He looked at the Nago Tribe, whom were looking more than a little disappointed. "Nago Tribe, I have nothing for you. I suppose you can take this as hope that you'll win the next Immunity Challenge like you did before."

Once again, SSBFreak stepped back and placed his hands behind his back. "You can all head back to camp now." He instructed.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Marty, despite his still-aching back, was swelling with pride as he carried the fishing rod into camp among his tribe. He still couldn't believe that he had actually managed to WIN the challenge.

"It appears I underestimated you, koopa." An impressed Shee'Na said, raising an eyebrow. "I honestly didn't think you had it in you."

"Hey, it wasn't easy. I was just really determined to show you guys I meant business and prove that I could do well in something." Marty replied with a nervous chuckle.

"_I'll admit that Marty impressed me and made up for the fact that he cost us the win in the previous Immunity Challenge, but I STILL won't drop the fact that he contributed to Lilah's elimination." Shee'Na pointed out simply. "He'll need to do a lot more before he earns my trust, and I don't know how much more he'll be able to do with that back injury."_

"But hey, we got a fishing rod!" Marty said. "Now we'll be able to get fish in addition to the fruit trees!"

"Actually, Sandy managed to catch a huge fish with her bare hands yesterday." Jonathan pointed out. "But this will definitely help us a lot more."

Marty walked over to one of the logs surrounding the fire pit and sat down gingerly, feeling his back. "Well, it's still good to be back. Bonnie treated me like the plague over there, but then again, she seems to treat pretty much everyone like that." He shrugged.

"Your back still hurting, Marty?" Tork asked, walking over to the scrawny koopa.

"Heck, yeah. I think it's even gotten worse." Marty shook his head. "If I can't get something done, then-"

Tork stepped behind Marty and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Marty, I want you to do something." He said.

"Uh…Sure. What is it?" Marty asked, confused.

"Picture yourself in a meadow. A nice, peaceful meadow." Tork said.

Marty paused for a few seconds before drifting off into space, looking ahead peacefully.

"Oh…Yeah. It's so peaceful…" Marty said dreamily.

"What does it look like?"

"The sky's blue…Flowers are budding…" Marty replied. "Oh, look. Butterflies…"

"Oh, really? What colour are they?"

"Well…They're…Kind of orange…"

Tork quickly shoved Marty to the ground and pulled his arms up, repeatedly slamming them down on Marty's back.

**CRACK!  
**

"ACK!!"

**CRACK!**

"AUGH!!"

**CRACK!**

"OH! THAT HURTS!!"

**CRACK!**

"EEP!!"

**CRACK!  
**

"OH, THAT FELT GOOD!!"

Everyone else on the tribe stared at the scene, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Even Reginald and Sandy were left completely speechless. Tork continued to assault Marty's back, resulting in several cries from the downed koopa. Eventually, Tork ceased his attack and helped Marty to his feet.

"You feeling okay, Marty?" Tork asked.

"I…I…" Marty said before realizing something. "I feel great! My backache's gone! Tork, you…You cured me!"

"How is that even possible?!" Shee'Na demanded. "You did nothing but assault him!"

"Believe me. I know what I'm doing. I'm a chiropractor." Tork pointed out. "I'll admit that my methods are a little unorthodox, but they definitely get results."

"Are those the 'special skills' you said you would bring?" Reginald asked.

"Yep. Hey, I think this puts us on an even playing field with the other team now." Tork nodded.

"_I was hoping to keep my skills a secret for a little while longer and make people want to keep me around until they came up, but hey, I just couldn't leave Marty injured like that." Tork shrugged. "Besides, I'm still on the majority alliance, so it's not like it'll affect me at all. I figured that it was safe to bring up my profession when I did."_

**(Nago Tribe)**

"I can't believe that we lost the Reward Challenge AGAIN!!" Bonnie yelled. "We really needed that fishing rod!"

"Again, we came close." Elias pointed out. "We'll get them at the Immunity Challenge tomorrow."

"But still, that was real close, man." Kida sighed. "We really almost had it that time."

"Also true." Elias sighed.

Bonnie ignored them and turned to Crane, whom was sitting on a log by the fire pit. "This is all your fault! You could have stayed down a few seconds longer!" She shouted at the rudie. "We could have won the challenge!"

"If I recall correctly, you seemed to just give up during the challenge." Crane countered calmly, folding his arms. "At least I tried."

Bonnie's eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you say, you…You…" She stammered.

"Surprised to see someone actually stand up to you?" Crane asked with a smirk. "That's a laugh. Look, why don't you go over and yell at a tree or something? I'm sure it'll appreciate your anger a lot more than the rest of us right now."

Bonnie seethed for a few seconds before spinning around and storming off. Everyone watched her go, then looked at Crane with wide eyes.

"_That woman doesn't intimidate me in the slightest. I'm used to dealing with people with bad attitudes all of the time. You haven't SEEN attitude till you've made the hit-list of the Golden Rhinos." Crane said with a smirk. "She'd fit in real well with the Poison Jam gang if they weren't such woman-hungry maniacs. Then again, I'm sure no one would really miss her that much…"_

As Elias went off to talk to Bonnie (to remind her to calm down) and the rest of the tribe split off, Mel walked over to the log Crane was sitting on and sat down beside him. "How…How could you just take what she said without breaking down like I did?" She asked.

"I grew up on the streets." Crane shrugged. "She's actually not that bad compared to some of the cops and rival gangs I run into on a daily basis."

Mel sighed and looked down. "I wish I was like you in that sense. I would love to be able to stand up to her, but I just don't think I'd be able to take what she says without breaking down." She admitted.

"Do people get mad at you where you come from?" Crane asked.

"Well…No." Mel admitted. "Everyone in my town likes me because I fix their computer problems."

"Well, there you have it." Crane said. "You haven't had to deal with someone with a bad attitude yet. That's why you just couldn't take what Bonnie said."

"You…You think you could help me?" Mel asked.

Crane looked thoughtful, then nodded, giving a small smirk. "Sure thing." He replied. Mel gave a sweet smile back at him.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"How's the fishing rod working?" Marty asked as he approached the beach.

"Terrifically." Nikko replied as he pulled a fish out of the water. "I think we'll be good for supper tonight."

"How exactly did Sandy catch a fish big enough to feed all of you with her bare hands, anyway?" Marty asked, scratching his head.

"She crouched over the water like a bear and scooped it up in a split second." Nikko replied. "She had to wait a while, though."

"Doing that takes a lot of patience, young padawan." Sandy added, approaching from behind. "You have to wait for the fish to come to you."

"Looks like you guys have managed to adapt pretty well since we started." Marty noted. "This tribe is a lot more organized than the other one."

"What does their shelter look like?" Sandy asked.

"Nothing compared to ours, believe me." Marty replied. "They don't even have a floor and their campsite is just a clearing in the middle of the jungle."

"Haha! Suckers!" Sandy laughed.

"You mean they don't even have this to look at?" Nikko asked, pointing at the scenery view from the beach.

"They don't even have immediate access to the beach." Marty replied with a smirk. "However, because they've got more trees, they have a larger access to fruit."

"Meh. No big deal. We've got fish." Nikko replied with a shrug.

"Can't argue with you on that." Marty nodded as he looked at Sandy. "Shee'Na seems upset with me. Why is that?"

"She's blaming you for Lilah's elimination because you got kidnapped." Sandy shrugged.

"Seriously?" The koopa asked.

"_I can't believe Shee'Na's blaming me for that. It wasn't my fault the other tribe kidnapped me. Hey, I'm sorry that her friend was eliminated because of it, but the other tribe is the source of that problem!" Marty insisted. "She shouldn't be taking the blame out on me. I don't understand how she could be acting like this…"_

"I'd better go talk to her." Marty said as he started walking towards the shelter.

"Hey, great! Now that I think about it, your head WOULD probably look good above a fireplace mantle." Sandy piped up.

Marty froze, blinking several times. "Uh…On second thought, maybe I should leave her alone for now." He said.

Night eventually came along and everyone on both teams were asleep, some anticipating the next day with hope and fear.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 6)**

Angie yawned as she emerged from the shelter, seeing everyone scattered around again. She noticed that Crane and Mel were sitting by the fire pit together, but she chose to ignore that and walked over to Jake.

"Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?" Angie asked.

"Took ya long enough ta get up, mate." Jake noted. "But no. Treemail hasn't come in yet."

"Any particular reason why the rudie and the tech geek are hanging out over there?" Angie asked, pointing over at the fire pit.

"Nah. Ah think Mel's trying ta get Crane ta teach her ta stand up fer heself, but that's all Ah got outta it." The Australian shrugged.

"_Hey, if Crane can teach someone to stand up for herself, then that's great. I just think that this will quickly lead to an alliance between him and Mel." Angie noted. "If both of them end up making the merge, that will prove to be trouble for everyone else. We may need to separate them before then."_

Meanwhile, three members of the tribe were walking towards the treemail box to see if they had anything.

"What do you think the Immunity Challenge will be?" D'looa asked.

"I dunno, man. But it'll be easier if that koopa's back is still sore." Kida pointed out. "He just got lucky that the Reward Challenge didn't require his back, man."

"Also true, but we shouldn't get our hopes up." D'looa shrugged as she reached into the treemail box and pulled out a letter. "Looks like we've got treemail."

"What's it say?" Barney asked.

"'Are you ready for your second Immunity Challenge? Hope you've got a fast runner on the team'." D'looa read.

"Hey, we've got Angie." Barney pointed out. "We should have this one in the bag."

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 6)**

Marty exited the shelter, looked over and saw Shee'Na standing aside. Deciding to try and plead his case, Marty wandered over.

"Uh…Shee'Na?" Marty asked nervously.

"What?" Shee'Na asked back, not looking at Marty.

"Look, I know you're upset about Lilah getting eliminated. But it wasn't my fault that the other tribe kidnapped me." Marty pointed out.

Shee'Na paused. "It's just that Klingons don't make friends very often. I was really hurt when the others voted Lilah off." She admitted. "And we were going to vote you off because of your injury, so I suppose that's why I pinned blame on you."

"But why?"

"Look, I acknowledge the fact that you've got skills, but the fact still remains. If you hadn't been kidnapped, I'd still have my friend." Shee'Na said, turning away. "You should be thankful I'm being as lenient as I am. Klingons aren't exactly known for their tolerance."

Marty looked at Shee'Na, sighed and walked away from her, his head held low.

Shee'Na watched him go out of the corner of her eye, but quickly dismissed the thought. She was a Klingon. Nearly crying after Lilah was eliminated was bad enough on her reputation as a Klingon. She didn't want to feel guilty either.

"Hey! We've got treemail!"

Shee'Na (and everyone else) turned to see Jonathan coming over with a letter. Zoe bounded over to him and eagerly awaited the reading.

"What's it say?!" Zoe asked excitedly (Reginald and Shee'Na plugged their noses at the stench).

"Looks like another Immunity Challenge." Jonathan noted, squinting a little bit. "It also says that they hope we have a fast runner."

Zoe's expression drooped. "But…The other tribe has that cat! You guys saw how fast she was running last time!" She cried. "This is going to be so bad!"

"Your back okay enough to run, kid?" Nikko asked Marty.

"It's healed, but there's no way I'd be able to catch Angie." Marty shook his head. "We'll just have to figure out which of us is the fastest runner…"

"I can tell you right now that it's not going to be me." Reginald pointed out. "I'm a thinker. Not a star athlete."

"Well, I guess we'll see what the task requires when we get there." Jonathan shrugged.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The two teams walked onto the beach and saw that there were several objects placed on a large, dirt track going in an oval. Ignoring it for now, the two teams stepped onto their mats and awaited instructions.

"Welcome to your second Immunity Challenge, everyone. This challenge will be even more basic than the last; It's nothing but a simple relay race." SSBFreak explained. "When I give the signal, one person from each team will run around this track, going through all of the obstacles we've placed in their respective lanes. We start off with a wooden wall with a large hole in it; the only way to pass is to climb through it. Next, we have the tire track, a line of ten tires laid out flat that people must run through one at a time. Finally, there's a row of five hurdles, which is pretty straightforward; jump over all of them to get through. The racing contestant must run a full lap, then tag the next person on their team so they can start a leg. The first team to have everyone run a full lap around this course is the winner."

Before beginning, SSBFreak looked at the Nago Tribe again.

"Nago Tribe, you still have one extra member." SSBFreak explained. "Whom will be sitting this one out?"

"I have horrible stamina. I'll sit it out." Barney noted. "There's no way we'd win if I did it."

"Fair enough. Okay. I'll give you a couple of minutes to decide your running order before we start."

The order was quickly decided. Marty gulped as he looked to his right and saw Angie standing beside him. The two were chosen to run first and were ready to start. Marty knew that he wasn't the fastest runner on his tribe (that position went to Sandy), but his team thought that it would be best if the fastest runner went later on in the challenge.

The Nago Tribe, on the other hand, had chosen their fastest runner first to put as much distance between the two teams as possible. Angie was ready for anything and prepared herself for when SSBFreak gave the signal.

"For Immunity, survivors ready?" SSBFreak asked, giving a pause. "Go!"

Angie was once again off in a flash, racing towards the wooden wall with the hole before Marty even got close to it. Even still, Marty continued running, cursing his luck for going against such a fast runner first.

Angie jumped through the hole in the wall, but caught her foot as she jumped through and tripped, falling flat on her face. While Angie was quick to get up, it helped Marty make up for lost time, as he jumped through the hole with no problem.

"Come on, Angie!" Mel shouted. "You're way faster than him!"

"Step on it, Marty!" Jonathan shouted. "If she messes up, you may be able to keep up with her!"

Angie and Marty raced along the track until they got to the tire track, Angie still well ahead of Marty. Unlike the hole in the wall, Angie easily made quick work of the tires and raced through them with ease. Marty also made it through in one go, but stumbled through the last few tires.

"Crap! I'm never gonna catch her now!" Marty cried as he struggled to keep up with the speedy cat.

Angie reached the hurdles and smirked. "This'll be no problem." She said as she jumped over the first few hurdles easily, but tripped over the fourth one. After struggling to keep her footing, Angie cleared the last hurdle, Marty now only a few feet behind her.

Angie raced over to Mel and tagged her. The computer technician was off running, but only got a few yards before Marty tagged Jonathan. Jonathan was much more physically fit than Mel, and was quickly catching up to her.

"Mel, hurry! He's gaining on you!" D'looa cried.

"You're doing great, Jonathan! Go, go, go!!" Zoe cheered (now everyone was smelling the putrid stench; Zoe was unaware that there was now a three-foot radius gap in between her and anyone else).

Mel managed to climb through the hole in the wall, but Jonathan did it faster. Mel managed to pick up the pace long enough to clear the tire tracks quickly, but Jonathan was still rapidly gaining on her.

"You're losing ground, twerp!" Bonnie shouted. "Are you even TRYING to run?!"

"I don't think that's helping her, man." Kida noted.

"You say that like I care." Bonnie snorted, folding her arms.

"Almost there. Almost there." Mel panted as she managed to jump over the last hurdle. She raced over to Crane and tagged him, allowing him to start running. Jonathan was done his lap only seconds later and tagged Nikko.

Needless to say, a teenager that skates for a living going against a middle-aged man isn't exactly a fair race. Even still, Nikko managed to keep at a reasonable pace so he wouldn't fall too far behind. Crane raced towards the first obstacle quickly, but tripped through the hole in the wall.

"Get up, you worthless rudie!" Bonnie roared. "You're almost as hopeless as the stupid geek!"

"We'll see if you can do any better, you hothead!" Crane snapped back as he raced through the tire track. Nikko was starting to fall behind, but managed to get through the tire track after Crane.

"Come on, Nikko! You're been keeping up with him so far!" Sandy shouted. "Tag me and I'll get us ahead!"

The two racers jumped over the hurdles (Nikko falling a bit more behind) and raced around the last turn in the oval, running towards Bonnie and Sandy.

"Go!" Crane shouted after tagging Bonnie. Bonnie started running.

Nikko finally reached Sandy and tagged her. "Get going! That…That took a lot out of me…"

"Yahoo!!" Sandy cheered as she took off running.

Everyone saw that Sandy was rapidly gaining on the much-slower Bonnie. Bonnie approached the hole in the wall and actually climbed through as opposed to jumping through.

"Don't stop running!" Barney shouted. "You need to keep moving!"

"Yer opponent's catchin' up ta ya!" Jake added.

"Lay off! This is the only way I can do it!" Bonnie shouted back as she finished climbing through the hole and continued running. Sandy, in the meantime, dove straight through the hole, landed on her hands, broke into a roll and continued running without losing any momentum.

By the time Bonnie was running across the tire track, Sandy had overtaken her, running through the tires backwards. She waved cheerily to Bonnie as she ran passed. "Don't you freaking DARE pass me!!" Bonnie shrieked as she raced after the crazy woman.

Everyone watched as Sandy cleared the hurdles with ease, now gaining distance on Bonnie. Sandy raced over to Reginald and tagged him.

"Go for it, Reggie!" Sandy said.

"It's 'Reginald'!" Reginald shouted as he started running (which looked more like a jog; he said himself that he wasn't the best runner). The tall Rabbid had already reached the first obstacle by the time Bonnie tagged Jake.

"Get a move on! We're behind now!" Bonnie shouted as Jake started running.

"And whose fault is that?" An unamused Crane muttered, folding his arms and glaring at Bonnie.

Because of Reginald's poor stamina, Jake was slowly managing to gain a little bit of ground back. However, Reginald was still well ahead by the time he finished the tire tracks.

"Okay. Now for the hurdles." Reginald said. "Too bad Rabbids aren't known for their jumping skills."

It took a little bit of effort, and he tripped over the last hurdle, but Reginald still managed to get around the last turn before Jake. As the Australian boy rounded the last turn, Reginald tagged Tork.

"Get going! I think I let him catch up a bit!" Reginald said.

"On it!" Tork nodded as he took off running.

"Get goin' mate!" Jake said as he tagged D'looa. "We can still win!"

D'looa took off, proving her athletic agility by jumping clean through the hole in the wall without wasting time. However, Tork had already done the obstacle and was on route to the tire tracks.

"This won't be as hard as the hole in the wall." Tork noted as he charged through the tire tracks easily. D'looa arrived just as he finished and also ran through the tires smoothly.

"I'm never going to catch him! He's got too much of a lead!" D'looa shouted as she started jumping over hurdles (Tork was almost done).

"Well, pick up the pace and get your feet in gear!" Bonnie shouted. "I don't want us to lose to these freaks again!"

Everyone from the Temlin Tribe whom had already run glared daggers at Bonnie. Shee'Na growled and stepped towards the boxer, only for Reginald and Sandy to hold her back.

"It's almost your turn to run, Shee'Na." Reginald instructed. "It may be tempting, but killing Bonnie will take too much time."

Shee'Na paused. "Okay. For once, I agree with you." The Klingon said as she watched Tork race over to Zoe and tag her.

"Alright! We're almost done!" Zoe cheered as she raced towards the first obstacle, leaving a trail of putrid stench as she ran.

D'looa, in the meantime, had tagged Kida. "Get going! After you, it's just Elias that needs to run!" She urged.

"You got it, dude!" Kida nodded as she ran off towards the hole in the wall.

Shee'Na and Elias looked at each other as they stood beside each other at the starting line, then at the racing contestants. Zoe continued to run ahead of Kida, clearing the tire tracks easily (although Kida cleared them just as fast).

"I'm coming, Shee'Na! Get ready!" Zoe called out as she jumped over the hurdles.

"Dude, get ready to move! We need to win, man!" Kida told Elias as she still trailed Zoe.

"Me against a strongwoman? I'll need a miracle." Elias shook his head.

Zoe finished the lap and tagged Shee'Na. The Klingon was off running as Kida came up and tagged Elias. The actor raced after Shee'Na, but the muscled woman was quickly gaining ground and furthering herself from him.

Elias jumped through the hold in the wall. "There's no way. She's already at the tire tracks." He sighed, shaking his head.

Elias was right. Shee'Na ran a perfect lap, clearing the tire track and hurdles with no mistakes. By the time Elias had finished the tire track, Shee'Na had already crossed the finish line. The Temlin Tribe cheered as Shee'Na shoved her fists into the air in celebration.

"Shee'Na is the winner!" SSBFreak said. "Temlin wins Immunity!"

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Immunity, Temlin. Unlike last time, you are all safe tonight." SSBFreak said. He then turned to the Nago Tribe. "Nago, now it's your turn to vote someone off tonight. I'll see you at Tribal Council, with the exception of one." The tall host looked at the winning tribe again. "Temlin, you can choose one contestant from Nago to kidnap and save from elimination. Who will it be?"

"Bonnie!" The entire Temlin Tribe shouted as one.

Bonnie smirked and strutted over to the other mat, looking back at her tribe. "Do us all a favour and vote off the useless twerp, will you?" She asked with a smirk. Most of the people on the Nago Tribe looked mad (or seethed in hatred, in D'looa's case) at the turn of events and the fact that Bonnie was safe.

"Bonnie is safe tonight and will rejoin her tribe at the next challenge. Nago Tribe, I'll be seeing you at Tribal Council tonight." SSBFreak said. "You can head back to camp."

**(Nago Tribe)**

"This is so unfair!" D'looa cried as she paced back and forth in front of the treemail box. "Why the heck did they save Bonnie?!"

"Eye for an eye, man." Kida sighed. "We totally saved Marty and they had to get rid of someone else."

"I suppose the plus side to this is that they can't kidnap the same person twice." D'looa sighed. "The next time we lose, she's gone."

"You got it, man."

"_This sucks. We were SO prepared to vote off Bonnie until the Temlin Tribe told us they were sparing her." Mel sighed. "Now we have to decide which of us will end up getting voted off and I have a feeling that it'll be me because of my limited use to the team. I just need to hope that I'll be safe after the night."_

"Who are we going to vote for?" Mel asked Crane.

"Elias." Crane replied, folding his arms. "I can tell that he's a snake and we need to get rid of him before he does something."

"But he's such a strong player." Mel pointed out.

"No. He's a SMART player. Big difference." Crane said. "He thinks he knows how to play the game and he's waiting for the best moment to strike."

"Who are the swing votes?"

"Barney, Jake and Angie. Just enough to give us the majority if we get all of them." The rudie replied. "I think our best chance at an additional vote would be Barney, though."

"Yeah. He's been friends with us so far." Mel nodded.

"_Ah dunno who Ah'll vote fer. Ah'm actually leanin' towards Angie. Yeah, she's fast, but she's lazy around the camp." Jake shrugged. "She could prove ta be a liability pretty fast, mates. We should take 'er out while we still 'ave a chance ta win."_

"_Elias came up to us and told us to vote for Mel. There's no way I'm voting for her! What is that guy smoking?" D'looa said. "I'm going to have to focus on our second-weakest link now that Bonnie's not here and that's Jake. I'm not going to like doing this, but it has to happen. We need to take out the weaker players to win challenges."_

"_You know what? I have no idea on whom to vote for. Crane and Mel suggested Elias, but I think he's too strong a player to eliminate this early in the game. He's too big of an asset to the team." Barney admitted. "In the meantime, I'm just going to have to figure out who on this tribe deserves to go the most…"_

**(Tribal Council)**

The eight members of the Nago Tribe (minus Bonnie) walked into the Tribal Council area with their torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start talking.

"Welcome to your first Tribal Council, Nago Tribe. I'm sure this is the last place you want to be right now." SSBFreak said. "After everyone votes, the person with the most votes will be eliminated from the game." Before continuing, SSBFreak scanned over the campers. "D'looa, your tribe looked pretty mad when you lost Immunity. Were you that upset about losing?"

"It wasn't so much losing the challenge. It was the fact that the Temlin Tribe kidnapped the one person everyone here wants out." D'looa said. "She would SO be gone if she were still here and I think no one would really miss her."

"Jake, will Bonnie's kidnapping affect the votes tonight?"

"Yep. Ah'm sure that it would be almost unanimous against her if she were here. Now Ah just dunno who's going home." Jake admitted. "Ah think Ah'm a target, but Ah think the possibilities of Mel and Angie came up around camp as well."

Angie's eyes widened. SSBFreak noticed this. "You seem surprised, Angie." He noted.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I've got amazing speed." Angie pointed out. "I don't know why anyone would want to get rid of me this early."

"Because ya don't do much around camp." Jake shrugged. "Yer pretty lazy."

"So? It's just my nature." Angie insisted. "Besides, I've helped us win challenges."

"Elias, do you agree that Angie is an asset because of her speed?" SSBFreak asked.

"Her speed helps, but I have to admit that if she doesn't stop being so lazy, then she'll probably be voted off because of it." Elias replied. "I have to admit that if I didn't already know whom I was voting for, I'd probably vote her off."

"Well, I think that's enough questions this time. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Angie, you're up."

The yellow cat got out of her seat and made her way to the voting table outside of Tribal Council. "Whom should I vote for?" She asked herself. "I've got two choices…"

Crane approached the table and held up his card, showing Elias' name. "I know you're planning something. I just hope the others can see that as well." He said as he placed his vote in the jar.

Kida walked up to the table and voted. "Sorry, dude." She shrugged as she placed her vote in the jar.

Jake walked up to the table and voted, showing his card to the camera. "Ah just think ya need ta go. Laziness doesn't deserve ta win." He said, having voted for Angie.

Mel approached the table and voted. She hesitated for a moment before placing her vote in the jar.

D'looa wrote down a name and held up the card. "I'm real sorry. If Bonnie were still here, I'd keep you in a heartbeat." She apologized, having voted for Jake.

Barney bit his lip for a second, then quickly wrote down a name, placing it in the jar before second-guessing himself.

Elias calmly wrote a name down and showed the card to the camera. "I simply think you're the weakest. Don't think I'm doing this to satisfy Bonnie." He said, having voted for Mel.

After all the votes were cast, SSBFreak fetched the jar and held it before the tribe. "Once I read the names, the one with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." SSBFreak said as he dug into the jar. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; Angie." Angie's eyes widened, then looked suspiciously at Jake.

"Elias." Elias raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

"Angie. That's two votes for Angie and one for Elias." Angie started looking a little nervous now.

"Jake." Jake didn't look too surprised.

"Jake. Two votes each for Angie and Jake and one for Elias." Jake and Angie looked at each other.

"Mel." Mostly everyone looked surprised. D'looa and Kida seemed to have a feeling on who had cast the vote, though…

"Elias. That's two votes for Angie, Jake and Elias, and one for Mel." Elias' eyes widened behind his shades. "Last vote and second person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Jake. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

Jake sat in silence for a bit before nodding and standing up, grabbing his torch. Not looking at anyone else, the Australian approached the host, whom held a snuffer in his hand.

"Jake, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Jake's flame. "It's time for you to go."

"Take out Bonnie as soon as ya can, mates." Jake said, walking backwards as he spoke to the rest of the tribe. When he was finished, Jake turned and continued walking normally.

After the Australian boy left Tribal Council, SSBFreak looked at the remaining members of the tribe. "From the voting tonight, I can tell that you aren't as organized at the Temlin Tribe, with four names coming up in this Tribal Council." SSBFreak noted. "I suggest that you try to organize yourselves a little better or you may be back here before you know it. You can all head back to camp."

Everyone stood up, collected their still-lit torches and left Tribal Council, surprised at how close the voting had come. With one extra vote, Angie or Elias could have been eliminated. Elias knew that he needed to plan a little better if he was to survive until the finals.

"_Voted off second in the game and first fer mah tribe. Not exactly the proudest moment of mah life. Ah know that Ah'm not the strongest guy, but Ah think Ah could have taken it all the way if given the chance." Jake sighed. "But Ah know that there's gonna be fireworks when Bonnie gets back, so at least Ah won't have ta see that…"_

**Voting History:**

**Jake – D'looa, Kida and Angie**

**Elias – Crane and Mel**

**Angie – Barney and Jake**

**Mel – Elias**

_Author's Note: In my original draft for this, Jake ended up going a little further than he did here (not as far as the merge, but further than second one out). Unfortunately, I ended up editing the story when I saw that his personality wasn't really getting him anywhere, making him the second one off._


	4. Days 7 to 9

Author's Note: This chapter contains references to the series that inspired this fic, Survivor Fan Characters. You may not get the references unless you've read the comic.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"_Well, our first Tribal Council has come and gone and Jake was sent home. I'm not really surprised at the results, but I'm just surprised that I got, not one, but TWO votes. I was one vote away from getting eliminated." Elias pointed out. "I'm trying to play this game as sneaky as I can, but it seems that a couple of the others are getting a little suspicious of me. I need to play the game even smarter now if I want to survive our next Tribal Council."_

Everyone was quiet when they got back to camp. Angie was quick to go to bed and Elias soon followed, deciding to ask questions in the morning. Crane, in the meantime, confronted Barney about the voting.

"I told you that we needed Elias off." Crane pointed out, jabbing the much-larger Barney in the chest. "Why didn't you vote with us? One more vote and that guy would have been gone!"

"I just thought Elias was too strong a player to kick out this early." Barney shrugged. "But you can't blame me about getting Jake eliminated. I voted for Angie."

"…Wait. You didn't vote for Jake?" Crane asked. "We know D'looa and Kida were targeting him, but who was the third vote?"

"Elias seemed intent on getting me voted off." Mel supplied. "I don't think it was him."

"That leaves Angie." Crane sighed.

"Well, to be fair, Jake wasn't exactly our strongest player." Barney pointed out.

"But at least he was trustworthy unlike Elias." Crane countered.

"Boys, please." Mel pleaded, getting in between the two. "What's done is done. We can't do anything to change it, now."

Crane looked up at Barney and turned away, walking into the shelter.

"_I was really counting on at least Barney to vote with Mel and I. Seems I can't trust him either. Jake's gone and Elias is still here." Crane sighed. "I need to try and get Mel and I to the merge, but I have a bad feeling that we'll be targets as soon as Bonnie gets kicked off. I need helpers and I need them now."_

Meanwhile, a pair of alien girls were walking towards the shelter, having heard the conversation between Crane and Barney.

"You think we made the right choice, man?" Kida asked.

"Jake was our weakest player and there was no way I was going to vote for Mel like Elias told us to." D'looa shook her head. "He was the only choice we had at the time."

"We could have gotten rid of Elias." Kida supplied. "We don't really like him that much, man."

"Too strong a player, no matter how much we dislike him." D'looa shook her head.

"Man. That totally sucks." Kida sighed, folding her arms.

Deciding to head to bed, the two girls went into the shelter to get some sleep for the next day.

**(Temlin Tribe; Day 7)**

Bonnie was still asleep, snoring loudly. Not a lot of Temlin had gotten a very good sleep the night before (Marty and Zoe got the most sleep after deciding to sleep outside) and were all wandering around camp, looking tired.

"While it was good strategy to kidnap her, I'm almost regretting it now." Reginald moaned as he sat on one of the logs by the fire pit. He covered his ears to block out Bonnie's snoring. "Honestly, I can hear her from out here."

"I don't know how the other tribe can put up with her snoring like that." Jonathan added with a shake of his head. "As if her attitude wasn't bad enough."

Marty and Zoe, being the ones that were the most awake, were in charge of getting food. Marty was using the fishing rod to catch fish while Zoe was trying to use Sandy's 'bear' method, crouching over the water in silence and waiting for a fish to come.

"_I saw how effective that way of catching fish was when Sandy did it and I thought I would try it myself. Man, I must have been standing in the water for half an hour and there were still no fish coming near me." Zoe shook her head. "I don't know how Sandy did it, because I'm trying to do it the way she did, but it's just no use…"_

Shee'Na came over to the two and watched as Marty pulled another fish out of the water. "How's the fishing going?" She asked. "Getting enough?"

"The fish are really biting today. We'll have plenty for breakfast." Marty nodded. "Is Bonnie still asleep? The beach seems to be the only spot in the campsite where we can't hear the snoring."

"She's still out like a light, but I never noticed that I couldn't hear her over here." Shee'Na noted. "Maybe I'll stay in this area until she wakes up." The Klingon suddenly became aware of Zoe's attempt at catching fish Sandy's way. "I don't think you're going to catch anything."

"Hey, if Sandy could do it, I figured that I might as well try." Zoe shrugged.

"Zoe, I'm getting us plenty of fish." Marty said. "Why don't you go and see if you can gather some fruit to go with it?"

Zoe paused, then nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll go see if I can find something." She agreed as she stepped out of the water.

"Try to be back before Bonnie gets up, though." Marty pointed out. "When I was at the other tribe, she stuffed her face and hogged most of the fruit."

"Seriously?" Zoe asked. "Oh, crap. I'd better hurry, then."

With that, Zoe flew past the shelter containing the still-sleeping Bonnie and vanished into the jungle.

"Well, that's one way to get someone moving." Shee'Na shrugged. "I have to admit that it was clever making that story up to get her going fast."

"Who said I was lying?" Marty asked flatly, turning his attention to the ocean again.

**(Nago Tribe; Day 7)**

"I have to admit that it's a lot quieter without Bonnie around." Mel noted as she left the shelter. "Too bad we'll have to put up with her again tomorrow."

"Indeed." Crane noted, arms folded. "But that aside, we appear to be in a dilemma."

"How do you mean?"

"There's only two of us and we could have gotten Jake to join our alliance." Crane replied. "I'm just worried that we'll be targets once Bonnie gets kicked off."

"There's Barney and Angie." Mel supplied.

"Barney didn't vote with us and I don't think Angie would want to join us." Crane replied.

"But you said that you and Barney were in some sort of alliance early on." The technician pointed out. "What happened?"

"He didn't vote for Elias. That's what."

"_I think Crane may be overreacting. I think Barney not voting with us was actually a good idea. Elias is a strong player despite what Crane thinks of him and I think we should keep him around for a while." Mel said. "If we targeted someone else, I'm sure Barney would be willing to join us in voting them off."_

"Look, after getting rid of Bonnie, Angie should be next." Mel said.

"…I suppose you're right. Barney DID say that he voted for her." Crane admitted.

"Exactly. So if we can't get him to vote with us, maybe we should vote with him at first and then try to sway him over later." Mel suggested.

"Okay. We'll try it your way for now and see how well the idea works." Crane nodded.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

By the time Bonnie had woken up, the Temlin Tribe had already eaten some of the fruit (to make sure they got their share of it). Seeing the others eating, Bonnie walked over, eyes narrowed.

"_So I was kidnapped at the end of the last challenge. Hey, I'm not complaining. I get to spend a day away from those morons on my tribe and am safe from getting voted off." Bonnie shrugged nonchalantly. "But I think I'll use my time wisely here. This team seems pretty organized, so I'm going to try and create some friction between them. It'll make them easier to beat and I sail smoothly on."_

"You decided to start eating without waking me up?" Bonnie asked. "How nice of you. You probably want me to starve."

"No, we just want our share of the food." Jonathan said. "Marty told us you hogged a fair bit of food while he was over there."

"Shows you how much that idiot can be trusted." Bonnie replied (Marty narrowed his eyes). "For your information, I shared with everyone else. In fact, I think that scrawny koopa was the one to take most of the food."

"I find that highly unlikely." Reginald noted without even looking at Bonnie. "He's actually eaten less than the rest of us here."

"Koopas don't have very big stomachs, you know." Marty supplied. "They don't need to eat as much."

"That's what he wants you to think." Bonnie insisted, ignoring the scrawny koopa beside her. "That guy complained about everything at our camp and refused to make any sort of contact with us! If you ask me, I think he's playing you."

"_Okay. I could tell right then and there that Bonnie was trying to stir us up a little. While I think that it's good strategy, she made a rather stupid choice in saying it while EVERYONE was listening." Reginald noted. "If that half-constructed plan of hers were to work, she'd have to at least say it when Marty wasn't around. Seriously, and I thought that Craig guy from Survivor: Fan Characters was an idiot."_

"Look, all I'm saying is that I think it would be in your best interest to get rid of him." Bonnie said. "He can't be trusted."

"And…What makes you think we'd believe you?" Tork asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, please. Tell us." Nikko added with a smirk. "We'd LOVE to hear why we'd believe someone like you over him."

"Hello?! That little runt isn't capable of doing anything anyway. I'm a much better player and know how to play the game." Bonnie said. "If anything, you should be thanking me for putting that idea into those empty heads of-"

That was all Bonnie could get out before Shee'Na placed her hand on her shoulder, holding it in a death grip. Bonnie winced as she looked to her right. "Let go of me, you freak!" She shouted.

"Listen to me and listen good. We don't like you and we trust you as far as we can throw you. The only reason we kidnapped you is because we know that everyone on your tribe hates you." Shee'Na said icily. "You are probably the worst player I have ever seen and I can safely say that I've seen a LOT of bad players."

"You don't have any right to talk to me like that!" Bonnie shouted.

"Shut. Up." Shee'Na ordered. "You don't rule the island, so don't act like you do."

Shee'Na released Bonnie, slightly pushing her at the same time before going back to eating. Bonnie snarled. "Fine. See if I care. But don't come crawling back to me when you get betrayed." She said.

**(Nago Tribe)**

Angie emerged from the shelter (having slept in again) and looked around. She saw the tribe scattered around and wondered whom she should talk to.

"_I was expecting to have an easy ride to the merge because of my speed, so you can imagine my surprised when I got TWO votes at Tribal Council. It seems my plan isn't as flawless as I thought." Angie admitted. "I'm going to need an alliance and I'll need one now. But the big question is which members of the tribe will be willing to team up with me?"_

Angie saw Elias standing aside and made her way over. "Say, Elias? I know we haven't exactly been friends since we started, but how about an alliance?" She asked.

Elias raised an eyebrow behind his shades. "Excuse me? You want to join an alliance with me? As I recall, I said that I would have voted for you if I didn't plan on voting for Mel." He pointed out. "And I meant what I said. Why would I want to join you?"

"Because you ALSO got votes last night." Angie reminded, folding her arms. "Let's face it. We were both expecting to go far in this game, but we were both one vote away from getting kicked off."

"So what are you getting at?"

"We're targets, even with everything we bring to the team." Angie said. "We need to join up if we want to outlast the rest of the tribe."

"_I had to admit that Angie was on to something. And I'd need a new alliance anyway since my partial alliance with Bonnie looks like it's going downhill already." Elias shrugged. "I may not like her because of her laziness, but I need to join Angie if I want to get rid of the other alliances. I suppose I can deal with Angie until the merge…"_

"Okay. You've made your point, and I hate to say it but it's a good one." Elias sighed. "We were indeed targets last night. I suppose we can be thankful that we are so divided."

"So what do you say? You up for an alliance?" Angie asked.

Elias pondered this for a second before nodding. "Okay. We'll see how far it takes us." He replied.

Meanwhile, some of the other members of the tribe were sitting by the fire pit and watching the conversation from afar, although not hearing what the two were saying.

"What's going on?" Mel asked. "You think Elias and Angie have formed an alliance?"

"But Elias seemed intent on getting rid of her." D'looa pointed out. "I can't see why he'd be willing to join her."

"You never know. Maybe they saw that they were both targets last night." Barney shrugged.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Bonnie sat underneath a tree, arms folded and furious that her plan on getting the Temlin Tribe at each other's throats didn't work the way she planned. Making a mental note not to step near the Klingon again, Bonnie figured that she'd get another chance before she had to return to her tribe.

"Whom should I go for? Maybe I should get the tribe to turn on that Klingon and take out their strongest player." Bonnie mused. "Or maybe that crazy woman. I don't think they'd miss her too much."

Bonnie continued to wallow in her thoughts as Zoe and Sandy walked by, having a conversation.

"…And that's how you make a combustible reactor out of a garbage can, fifteen pennies and three feet of floss." Sandy said, as if finishing a long explanation.

"Wow! It makes so much sense now!" Zoe said eagerly. "Say, switching topics, whom do you think was voted off last night?"

"If my tribe has any intelligence, they voted off that useless computer geek." Bonnie said, jumping into the conversation with a bored look on her face.

"What makes you think she was voted out?" Zoe asked, an eyebrow lifted.

"Did you even hear me? She's completely useless. I can't think of anything good that little twerp has done for us." The boxer replied.

"I dunno. The tribe seemed pretty angry when we kidnapped you." Sandy said with a teasing smirk.

"Because it was one less vote against that geek. Not that it matters anyway." Bonnie shrugged. "When I get back, she'll be gone and that's all that matters."

"_I don't know why Bonnie is so abusive to Mel. She seems like a nice, hard-working girl. I'm just curious to know why Bonnie hates her so much." Zoe shrugged. "I think we made the best choice in kidnapping Bonnie, but I really hope Mel didn't get kicked off…"_

"_That Bonnie reminds me of my uncle Randal except she's a girl and doesn't smell like three months of booze. No one here likes her and I think that the other tribe feels the same way." Sandy supplied brightly. "I'm just glad she's going back to her tribe tomorrow because if it was for any longer I'd have to introduce her to the tire iron I keep down my pants at all times….Oh, wait. The producer's confiscated it before the show started…"_

**(Nago Tribe)**

As the rest of the team wandered around the campgrounds, Crane and Barney were off by the treemail box, having a little talk.

"Look, Barney? If you're willing, I'd like to give our alliance another chance." Crane pointed out, looking a little bored. "I understand that Elias is a strong player and I think what I need to do is join you in voting out Angie first."

"You really think so?" Barney asked. "You'd be willing to join me again?"

"Yes. We'll keep Elias around for now and he'll go eventually, but Angie should be our target right now." The rudie sighed.

Barney paused for a second before smirking. "Mel made you memorize those words, didn't she?" He asked.

A smirk floated across Crane's face. "Memorize? She WROTE them." He chuckled.

"Hey, I'm up for an alliance." Barney said, holding out his hand. "So it's you, me and Mel?"

"Yep. Enough to put us at a majority over the other alliances." Crane nodded as he shook Barney's hand. "We'll vote for Angie after getting rid of Bonnie."

"Hey, I'm perfectly okay with that." Barney assured. "Speaking of Bonnie, I heard that you're trying to teach Mel how to stand up for herself."

"Hey, she saw how I handled that airhead and wanted me to teach her." Crane admitted with a shrug. "A worthy cause, if you ask me."

"No argument here." Barney replied.

Kida, having walked by, smirked as she leaned close to Crane. "Plus you two little dudes go great together." She said.

Crane's eyes widened as he looked the Rilgarian in the face. "W-What?!" He asked, blushing wildly. "N-No! It's nothing like that!"

Kida chuckled. "Whatever you say, man." She said as she walked away.

"_Oh, he's SO crushing on her, man. The signs are definitely there. Hey, if I can help get those two together, I'd totally do it!" Kida laughed, flashing a thumbs-up. "I just need to make sure that Mel's single, dude. If she is, then I can get to work and see if I can get those two little dudes closer."_

After Kida left, Crane looked at Barney and jabbed the much-taller man in the chest. "Not ONE word of this!" He said.

"Not one word of what?" Barney asked innocently.

"Exactly."

Night eventually showed up. Everyone on both tribes was soon fast asleep, preparing for the next day.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 8)**

"Any treemail, yet?" Shee'Na asked as Marty returned once again empty-handed.

"Not yet." Marty shook his head. "We should be getting some soon, though."

"Good. I just want to get rid of that snob so we can continue playing the game." The Klingon said.

"Hey, it was just strategy. We only had to put up with her for one day." Marty reminded. "The other tribe has to put up with her for an extra three."

"I know. And it'll be easier to beat them when they have their weakest link still active." Shee'Na sighed. "I just want this to be over. The sooner we dump her, the better."

"Watch what you say. She said that exact same thing about me." Marty reminded. "You don't want to end up like her, do you?"

Shee'Na couldn't help but give a chuckle at the jab at Bonnie. The Klingon glanced over at the fire pit and saw the boxer talking with Reginald, Tork and Nikko. "You think she's going to try again and pit them against us?" She asked.

"Probably, but it's not going to work." Marty replied with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Bonnie was indeed trying to get the three-member alliance to turn on the others. However, much like Marty predicted, it wasn't going very well.

"Look, you saw how angry she was with me! You need to get rid of her before she turns on all of you!" Bonnie pointed out.

"Shee'Na is the strongest player we have. While I admit that she does have a bit of a temper, I can't say you didn't have it coming." Nikko said, folding his arms.

"How could you say that?! I was just speaking my mind when she struck!"

"If that's what you call speaking your mind, I'd hate to think of what everyone else back at your homeworld thinks of you." Tork added. "Do you even have ANY friends where you come from?"

Bonnie scoffed. "You're a fine one to talk, freak of nature." She snapped.

"Wow. Fantastic comeback." Reginald said, rolling his eyes. "Look, we know that you're trying to create friction, but it's not going to work. You're telling this brain-dead plan of yours to the smartest person on the tribe as a way to vote out the strongest. In all honesty, you REALLY could have thought that one through better."

"…_Yeah. I admit that I'm not the smartest person on the tribe, but even I knew what Bonnie was trying to do. She thinks she's playing the game properly, but in reality couldn't come up with a good strategy if her life depended on it." Tork said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't even the one to come up with the plan in the first place. I think someone else on her tribe told her to cause some friction between us."_

"_All I can say is the sooner we get treemail for the Reward Challenge, the better. I've met some annoying people in my time, but that girl really pushes the envelope for me." Nikko said. "Kidnapping her was good strategy on Reginald's part, but having to put up with her for just one day makes me feel sorry for the other tribe."_

"Hey! We've got treemail!" Sandy said as she rushed over with an envelope.

"About time." Shee'Na said. "What's it say?"

"'Ready for your next Reward Challenge? I hope you have some heavy hitters'." Sandy read. "Sweet! We get to hit stuff!"

Shee'Na smirked. "Looks like I'll be getting that match-up against the warehouse worker after all." She noted.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 8)**

Most people were surprised to see Angie up with the rest of them, but didn't have time to question her. The yellow cat had spent the entire time she had been awake talking strategy with Elias. As this was happening, most of the others were gathered around by the fire pit.

"Well, it's about time for the Reward Challenge." D'looa sighed. "Soon, Bonnie will be back on the team."

"It was fun while it lasted." Mel sighed. "I can just imagine how mad she's going to be to see me still here."

"Do you know why she's always taking her anger out on you?" The Twi'lek asked.

"Yeah. She's always pretty mad, but why you?" Crane added.

"I have no idea." Mel insisted. "It's confusing me just as much as everyone else."

"_I truly have no idea why Bonnie hates me so much. I think she's always in need of someone to take her aggression out on and she sees me as the one least-likely to fight back." Mel sighed. "I mean, when she snapped at Crane, she actually seemed taken aback to hear him retaliate. Before this is over, I want to tell Bonnie what I think of her to her face, but I don't think I'm quite there yet."_

"I've said this before and I'll say it again. I'm just glad that tribes can't kidnap the same person twice." D'looa said. "The next time we're at Tribal Council, we'll have a sacrificial lamb and it won't affect our performance in later challenges."

Meanwhile, Angie and Elias were continuing to talk about possible ways to get ahead in the game, knowing that they were both targets after the previous Tribal Council.

"It's obvious we need Barney. His strength will help us win." Angie pointed out.

"It also makes him a threat the instant we make the merge." Elias reminded. "As it stands right now, the only ones we can afford to lose are Mel, Crane and, if it came down to it, Bonnie."

"But she's in your alliance." Angie reminded, surprised.

"I'm trying to keep her in the game for as long as I can." Elias sighed. "Taking her into the finals would mean an instant win for whoever she's against."

"So THAT'S what you've been planning!" Angie said with a smirk. "Man. Crane was right. You ARE sneaky."

"I trust that you aren't going to say anything, though." Elias warned.

"We're in an alliance, mac. My lips are sealed." Angie winked.

"_I have to admit that Angie is a lot more competent than she lets on. I figure that her plan was to act as lazy as she can while still doing well in the challenges so everyone would keep her around." Elias said. "That's a good strategy to get far in the game, but she needs to change her game plan if she wants to win."_

"Hey, look at this!" Barney called out, walking over to the tribe with a letter. "We've got treemail!"

"Excellent. That would be the Reward Challenge." Elias said as he and Angie approached. "What's it say, Barney?"

"It says that they hope we have some heavy hitters." Barney replied.

"This…Could be tough." Elias mused. "Barney's the only real heavy hitter we have."

"The other tribe has the Klingon and the crazy woman as well." D'looa added.

"We can only hope that the Klingon's looking for a bout with Barney, man." Kida agreed. "That'd make things a little easier for us."

Barney whimpered.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The Temlin Tribe stood on their mat on the beach while Bonnie waited impatiently for her tribe to show up as she stood alone on the red mat.

"Let's bring in the Nago Tribe." SSBFreak said.

Bonnie turned as she watched her tribe walk into view. Her eyes widened when she saw who had been voted out.

"Jake was voted out at the last Tribal Council." SSBFreak explained.

"How could you not vote for that twerp?!" Bonnie shouted upon seeing Mel. "You morons just sealed our fate by keeping her!"

"Yeah. We missed you too." Crane muttered.

"For this Reward Challenge, it's a game of duels." SSBFreak explained before pointing out two six-foot platforms just wide enough for one person to stand on and a pair of long poles laying on the ground. "This will be one-on-one, best of nine matches. The first person to knock his or her opponent off of their platform using those poles scores a point for their team. The first team to five points is the winner. The Reward today will be blankets for your team at the shelter to sleep in."

"Oh, that would make things a lot more comfortable." Mel nodded with a smile.

"It WOULD be better than sleeping with no covers." Jonathan told Reginald.

"Indeed."

"If we reach the ninth round, you will each select your best player to go against each the player from the other team for the win." SSBFreak said. "I'll let you guys get organized so we can start."

**(Later…)**

Mel stood atop her platform, holding the long pole in both hands. She looked at the other platform and saw Zoe, her competition. Both girls watched each other, careful not to fall off their platforms.

"Okay. Round one! Mel vs. Zoe!" SSBFreak said. "Ready…Go!"

Mel swung her pole at Zoe, but the skunk girl managed to block the blow. Zoe tried to attack, but Mel was more aware than Zoe expected and blocked the attack.

"Come on, Zoe!" Marty cheered.

"You can do it, Mel!" Barney countered.

The two girls locked weapons for a second, which ended with Zoe shoving her arms forward, pushing Mel back far enough to knock her off the platform. Mel fell six feet, crashing into the sand.

"Zoe wins! Temlin leads 1-0!" SSBFreak said.

"Oh, come on! You couldn't even beat that wuss?!" Bonnie shouted before looking at the rest of the team. "See?! This is what you get for keeping a useless player!"

Kida stood on the platform next, facing Nikko. The Rilgarian and elf locked gazes, eyes narrowed.

"Round two! Kida vs. Nikko! Ready…Go!"

Nikko managed to hold off Kida for a bit, but couldn't get a hit in and was pushed off when the Rilgarian shoved her pole into his stomach. Nikko toppled off the platform.

"Kida wins! We're tied at 1-1!"

"Gah. That hurt." Nikko moaned as he got to his feet.

Angie's eyes widened when she saw that Shee'Na was he opponent. The Klingon smirked as she towered over the cat.

"Round three! Angie vs. Shee'Na! Ready…Go!"

Angie blinked a couple of times before giving a nervous and cheesy smile. Shee'Na lifted an eyebrow.

One second later and Angie was down in the sand, a victim to a single blow. Shee'Na shook her head, still smirking.

"Shee'Na wins! Temlin leads 2-1!"

Crane and Sandy stood on the platforms, eyeing each other. Sandy grinned happily. "How's the weather down there, short stuff?" She said, being taller than Crane.

"You're not THAT much taller than me." Crane muttered.

"Round four! Crane vs. Sandy! Ready…Go!"

Crane tried to ward off Sandy and managed to get a hit or two in, but ultimately failed and fell from the platform and into the sand.

"Sandy wins! Temlin leads 3-1!"

"You moron! We're losing badly!" Bonnie shouted at Crane.

"I'd like to see you do better." Crane said, shooting Bonnie a dirty look.

"Alright, I will!"

Bonnie stood on her platform, eyeing Tork. She gave an evil smirk and the platypus suddenly didn't like where this was going.

"Round five! Bonnie vs. Tork! Ready…Go!"

Bonnie swung her pole with all her might and smashed it into Tork's side. Tork shouted as he fell from the platform and landed flat on his back.

"Bonnie wins! Temlin leads 3-2!"

Bonnie stood triumphantly and stared down at Crane. "And THAT'S how you do it." She taunted.

Crane growled.

Marty stood in silence as he saw Barney standing on the platform opposite him. "Oh, come ON! This isn't even FAIR!" He exclaimed.

"Round six! Barney vs. Marty! Ready…Go!"

Barney chuckled as he knocked Marty off the platform in one swing. "It helps to raise your guard, you know!" He called down to Marty.

Marty, laying flat on his back, gave a thumbs-up, as if acknowledging Barney's statement. "No…Problem…" He moaned.

"Barney wins! We're tied at 3-3!"

D'looa rotated her arm a couple of times as Reginald simply stood still, holding his pole in front of him. "…Yeah. This won't end well." Reginald shook his head.

"Round seven! D'looa vs. Reginald! Ready…Go!"

Reginald tried to put up a fight, but D'looa quickly pushed him off his platform with the end of her pole.

"Dlooa wins! Nago leads 4-3!"

"Way to go, Reggie." Sandy said, folding her arms. "Now we're behind."

"Reginald!!" Reginald shouted.

Elias and Jonathan eyed each other for a few seconds, trying to come up with ways to beat the other. Everyone saw that, for once, the field was even in the sense of strength.

"Round eight! Elias vs. Jonathan! Ready…Go!"

Elias and Jonathan exchanged blows for a few seconds before Jonathan got the upper hand, jabbing Elias in the leg. Elias, taken by surprise, fell off the platform and into the sand.

"Jonathan wins! We're tied at 4-4!" SSBFreak said. "It's time for a tie-breaker! Tribes, select your best player!"

Barney and Shee'Na stood on the platforms, holding much different expressions. Barney looked nervous to be fighting the powerful Klingon while Shee'Na looked excited to finally get the chance to fight him.

"Final round! Barney vs. Shee'Na! Ready…Go!"

The two clashed several times, trying to knock the other off the platform. The fight continued for a while, making everyone realize that this was the longest fight of the game. Shee'Na continued to swing her pole, but Barney managed to find several openings and peg her with small attacks while blocking.

Shee'Na smirked and swung her pole, locking weapons with Barney. "Oh! Such strength! I've never seen someone as strong as you!" She said, her eyes wide with excitement.

Barney narrowed his eyes. "I appreciate the compliment, but it's time to end this!" He said as he shoved his arms out in a similar way Zoe did to Mel.

Shee'Na staggered backwards a couple of steps. Unfortunately, that was enough. The Klingon toppled off the platform and landed in the sand.

"Barney wins! Nago wins Reward!" SSBFreak said.

Oddly, Shee'Na didn't look too upset as she sat up. In fact, she looked strangely satisfied.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on your first Reward win, Nago. The blankets are yours." SSBFreak said as he handed Barney the blankets. "Hopefully, these will keep you guys warm at night. The nights get a little cool on the island." He then looked at the Temlin Tribe, whom looked a little upset. "Temlin, I have nothing for you. Take this as an incentive to win the coming Immunity Challenge."

Stepping back, SSBFreak placed his hands behind his back. "You can all head back to camp." He instructed.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"It's about time we won something." Crane said with a smirk as he followed Barney into camp.

"Yeah, man! And it was blankets!" Kida nodded. "Dude, the nights are gonna be so much better now!"

"Way to go, Barney!" Angie cheered. "That was awesome work!"

"I honestly didn't think I'd be able to beat her." Barney chuckled nervously.

"…_Uh…Wow. I actually surprised myself there. Me against a Klingon? I thought for sure I was going to lose. I guess I'm stronger than I thought." Barney chuckled, rubbing his head nervously. "Well, the main thing is that I won us the blankets and now we've got a way to keep ourselves warm at night. We didn't win Flint or the Fishing Rod, but the blankets are definitely a must for us. This will definitely help."_

Bonnie, whom had been silent up to this point, growled and turned on the team once everyone was a good ways into the camp. "Why didn't you vote off that worthless twerp?!" She shouted. "He may have been weak, but the Australian was ten times the player than this geek!"

Mel looked away, refusing to make eye contact with Bonnie. She quickly felt the words getting to her heart and knew that tears would just prompt Bonnie to unleash even more fury.

"Okay, seriously! This is just stupid!" D'looa shouted. "Why do you hate Mel so much?! She's done nothing to show us she's worthless!"

"Don't tell me you're actually standing up for her!" Bonnie said, appalled at the Twi'lek girl. "Look, you idiots just made the biggest mistake of your lives by keeping her!"

With that, Bonnie stormed away. Barney sighed and looked at Elias. "Um…You think you could…" He asked.

"Already on it." Elias sighed, shaking his head. "This has to be the fifth time I've told her to calm down."

"Why does Bonnie listen to that guy, anyway?" Kida asked as Crane comforted Mel, whom was openly breaking down now that Bonnie was gone. "Even if it's only temporarily, she still listens to him."

"You got me." Angie shrugged, keeping her promise to not tell Elias' secret.

"Not that it matters anymore. Unless we win all the remaining Immunity Challenges, she's not making the merge." D'looa assured.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Everyone was surprised that Shee'Na was smiling and laughing the entire way back to camp. Even Sandy was a little creeped out at the Klingon's unusual behavior. After everyone entered camp, they finally decided to see what was up.

"Uh…Shee'Na?" Jonathan asked. "Aren't you…Y'know…Upset that we lost?"

"No. For me to finally meet someone as strong as me, maybe even stronger, it was worth it." Shee'Na replied. "Klingons are naturally strong, but it has always been a dream of mine to meet someone stronger than me. And today I have finally found the man!"

"…_And I thought Sandy was unusual. Shee'Na had dreams of meeting someone stronger than her? Talk about weird. I was actually surprised that she didn't care that we lost." Jonathan admitted. "I was half-expecting Shee'Na to explode on us for losing, but she was instead happy that she had fulfilled her dream. Not that I'm complaining. I can't speak for the others, but I happen to be quite fond of my spleen."_

"So what are we going to do for Immunity tomorrow?" Marty asked.

"Hope that it doesn't involve anything physical." Reginald replied. He suddenly saw Tork favouring his left arm. "You okay, Tork?"

"Uh…Yeah, I think so. I just took a big hit during the Reward Challenge. I think Bonnie sprained my arm with that hit." Tork admitted. "If it's just a sprain, it should be okay by tomorrow."

"We'll definitely hope so." Nikko said. "We wouldn't want to lose Immunity because of an injury…Again."

"Dude, NOT cool." Marty muttered.

"So who's turn is it to catch fish for supper?" Zoe asked.

"Mine. You guys go get fruit and I'll wait here for the fish to come." Sandy said as she stepped into the water and crouched over like a bear.

"Uh…Sandy, we've got a fishing rod now." Nikko reminded.

"…Oh, yeah!" Sandy said as she grabbed the fishing rod, sat down on a rock and started fishing.

Marty, Zoe and Jonathan exchanged looks before shrugging and heading into the jungle to get fruit.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"Bonnie, we need to talk." Elias sighed as he pulled Bonnie over to the far side of the shelter, out of hearing from everyone else.

"You want to talk about why you kept that shrimp?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms.

"No, I want to remind you about what you need to do to make it to the finals." Elias said. "LAY. LOW."

"How do you expect me to do that when the reason we lose any challenges to begin with is still here?" Bonnie quizzed, jerking her thumb towards the fire pit, where Mel was sitting.

"…Bonnie, why do you hate her so much? I know you deny it and you like to remind us of that constantly, but she's a lot more useful than you claim her to be." Elias said, folding her arms. "Now come clean. Why are you so intent on making Mel's life miserable?"

"Because she's the weakest, pure and simple. I detest weak people." Bonnie insisted.

"…Oh, yes. I think I remember hearing about your humiliating loss to a rookie boxer in his first-ever fight." Elias said with a smirk.

"Shut up! That boxer just got lucky! He's weak and he'll always be weak in my book!" Bonnie snapped back. "That twerp out there is just like him! I see him whenever I look at that ugly face of hers! I. WANT. HER. OFF."

Elias paused, then gave a slow nod. "Okay. If that's how you feel, then I'll try to get her kicked off as soon as I can, but you NEED to lay low if you want to go any further." He said.

"Fine. Whatever." Bonnie said as she stalked away.

"_I decided not to tell Bonnie that I had forged a stronger alliance with Angie. If she heard that she had been replaced by someone everyone else would consider a better player, there's no telling how angry she'd get." Elias shook his head. "I'm still going to try to take Bonnie as far as I can, but somehow, I have a feeling that this isn't going to work out…"_

Night eventually arrived again and everyone was asleep, the Nago Tribe using their new blankets to keep themselves warm in the cold of night.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 9)**

After stepping out of the shelter, Nikko looked around and saw the rest of the team around the camp. He saw Tork sitting by the fire pit and went over, seeing that he was still feeling his injured arm.

"Your arm not any better?" Nikko asked.

"No. I honestly thought that it would be better by now." Tork admitted. "But it still aches."

"You think you'll be fine for the Immunity Challenge today?" The elder elf asked.

"Hopefully, if it's nothing physical." Tork replied. "I may have to get this looked at after the challenge."

"_During the Reward Challenge, Bonnie gave me a HARD hit to the arm and it's been hurting ever since. I thought that my arm was just sprained and it would be better by morning, but no dice." Tork sighed. "I just hope that the Immunity Challenge today won't be revolving around anything physical or else we'd be in real trouble."_

Meawhile, Jonathan and Zoe were down by the beach, talking to each other. They made sure that they were out of hearing range from the others.

"So what do you think we should do the next time we're at Tribal Council?" Zoe asked. "We voted with Reggie last time, but should we stick with him?"

"Hard call. It depends on which member of our team gets kidnapped next." Jonathan replied. "We could either target Marty or someone on Reginald's alliance."

"But he'd be after us if we betrayed him." Zoe piped up. "And even if he's in the minority, he can convince someone on the other alliance to get rid of us."

"…Yeah. That rabbit seems pretty sneaky." Jonathan admitted. "We'll have to see how the cards are dealt the next time we lose an Immunity Challenge."

"_Jonathan and I are trying to play our strategy of being swing votes the entire time, but it's definitely going to get a lot harder. We want to make sure that we aren't outnumbered if we make the merge, but if we switch sides too many times, they'll catch on to what we're doing." Zoe sighed. "If we want to survive long enough to take out everyone else, we need to play our game smart enough so even Reginald won't catch on!"_

"We've got some more treemail!" Sandy cheered as she rushed over, getting the attention of everyone else.

Marty suddenly saw that Sandy was empty-handed. "Uh…Where's the letter?" He asked.

Sandy blinked a couple of times before racing back towards the treemail box and taking out the letter. Sandy ran back to her team and opened it.

"'The next Immunity Challenge awaits! Prepare for a lot of trivia'." Sandy read.

"That's a relief. It's not physical." Tork shook his head.

"We'd better head to the challenge, then." Reginald said. "Okay, Sandy. Lead the way."

Sandy inspected the map and, in confusion, turned it around a few times.

"Uh…On second thought, I'd better take it." Reginald said as he took the letter.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 9)**

"_Now that Bonnie's back, I can't talk strategy with Elias as much. It sucks because we're dependant on each other to outlast the others, but if we can't talk to each other, then we can't plan." Angie noted. "Elias gave me strict instructions not to tell Bonnie about our newly-formed alliance, and I intend to make sure that she stays in the dark about this."_

"Any treemail yet?" Angie asked as she walked over to the fire pit, munching on a tangerine.

"Not yet, but it should be coming soon." D'looa shook her head. "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I hope we lose."

Angie nearly dropped her fruit in surprise. "W-What? Why would you want to willingly LOSE?" She asked.

"You saw how upset Mel got. If we don't get rid of Bonnie soon, things could end up getting extremely violent with her outbursts." D'looa replied, folding her arms as she looked around. "Where IS the hothead, anyway?"

"Talking with Elias. He's been telling her to stay calm ever since we started." Angie shrugged. "In all honesty, it ain't working that well."

"Then you agree that we need to dump her?"

"You kidding? I would have been the first to join you." Angie chuckled. "But remember, D'looa. The more challenges we win, the more of us make the merge. We need to try and focus on winning more challenges than the others."

"I know. And if that happens, it'll be a better chance of one of us winning the whole thing." D'looa sighed.

"Hey, dudes! You seen Barney anywhere?" Kida asked, coming over. "Crane and Mel went to check for treemail, but I can't find Barney."

"_Okay. No one knows this, but I've been watching those conversations between Bonnie and Elias from afar and I overheard Bonnie's outburst yesterday. Since then, I've been making sure that I keep a close eye on that woman." Barney said, eyes narrowed and looking unamused. "I don't know why Elias is so intent on keeping her around, but if it comes to it, there won't be anything he can do and we'll be voting her off. The sooner Bonnie goes, the sooner Mel can relax."_

"Guys, we've got some more treemail." Crane called out, walking over with Mel.

"What's it say, bro?" Kida asked with a grin.

"Looks like a trivia challenge for the Immunity." The rudie replied.

"I sure hope that the topic is something we all have reasonably good knowledge in." Mel noted. "If we win this, we'll have an advantage over the Temlin Tribe again."

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The two mats were laid out in the middle of a clearing somewhere on the island. SSBFreak watched as the two tribes walked onto the scene and stepped onto their mats to await instructions.

"Welcome to your third Immunity Challenge. This challenge's premise is simple, but only if you're up to date with a little something that inspired this very Survivor parody." SSBFreak said. "I'll ask questions about the series of Survivor: Fan Characters and give your three possible answers for each one. You are given three letters and must hold up the one you think the right answer is. If you don't get the question right, you're out. The tribe with the last person standing wins Immunity. Am I clear?"

SSBFreak got nods from the crowd. He motioned towards sixteen stools behind him, each with three tablets on them. "Please take your seat on your tribe's side of the field and we can begin." He instructed.

Everyone sat down on their seats, ready for SSBFreak to start. SSBFreak stepped back far enough so he could see everyone.

"Okay, for Immunity, here's the first question." SSBFreak said. "Which survivor in the series went down as creating the biggest lie in the series' history? A: Sky, B: Marty, C: Eugene."

No one had to think about this. Everyone held up the tablet with a B on it.

"Marty is the correct answer. Everyone got it right." SSBFreak nodded. "Okay. Here's the second question. Which season of Survivor: Fan Characters had a yoshi as a cast member? A: 1, B: 2, C: 3."

The tablets went up again. Bonnie was holding up a B, Sandy was holding up an A and everyone else was holding up C's.

"3 is the correct answer. Bonnie and Sandy are out." Bonnie grumbled as she and Sandy stood up and walked off the field. "Next question. Which Under the Radar player was eliminated by the dreaded 'purple stone'? A: Denise, B: Delta, C: Miichelle."

Everyone gave their respective answers Tork and Zoe held up B, Barney held up a C and everyone else was holding up an A.

"Denise is the correct answer. Tork, Zoe and Barney are out." SSBFreak said. As Zoe and Barney walked off the field, Tork was pulled aside by someone else and led in a different direction. "Next question. Who can be considered one of the most-hated characters in the entire series? A: Craig, B: Isaac, C: Mary."

Once again, everyone answered. Elias and Shee'Na were holding up A's, D'looa held up a B and everyone else held up C's.

"Mary is the correct answer. Craig and Isaac may have been idiots, but they each had their own entertainment value at the start." SSBFreak explained. "Elias, Shee'Na and D'looa are out."

"I could have sworn that Craig idiot was the most hated." Elias muttered to himself as he walked off the field.

"Next question. Which of the following people was eliminated THIRD? A: Suzanna, B: Popper, C: Mihoshi."

Jonathan, Marty and Crane all held up A's while everyone else held up C's.

"Mihoshi is the correct answer. Jonathan, Marty and Crane are out."

"…Oh, yeah! Suzanna was eliminated SECOND!" Jonathan realized, hanging his head as he walked off the field.

"Here's how we're standing. Mel, Angie and Kida are left for Nago while Reginald and Nikko are left for Temlin." SSBFreak said. "Here's the next question. How many votes did Jasmine get at the results for Season 2? A: 2, B: 3, C: 4."

The votes went up again. Angie was the only one holding an A while everyone else was holding B's.

"3 is the correct answer. Angie is the only one out."

"Aw, man…" Angie moaned as she stepped off the field.

"Next question. After getting eliminated, which contestant was brought back for a short while? A: Polly, B: Bea, C: Hugo."

The remaining four cast their votes. Reginald was holding up an A, Mel and Nikko were holding up B's and Kida was holding up a C.

"Bea is the correct answer. Reginald? Kida? You're both out."

"Don't let us down, dude." Kida told Mel as she stepped off the field.

"Next question. Which of the following franchises has NOT been represented thus far? A: Sly Cooper, B: Jak & Daxter, C: Ratchet & Clank."

Mel and Nikko had their votes up almost instantly and they were both C's.

"Ratchet & Clank is the correct answer and you both got it right."

Mel and Nikko looked at each other, knowing that Immunity depended on them.

"Next question. After being moved to another tribe, who did Montana make a final 2 promise to? A: N, B: Hope, C: Beth."

The votes were up just as fast as the previous time. Both Mel and Nikko were holding A's.

"N is the correct answer and once again you both got it right." SSBFreak said. "Next question. In Season 1, who did Sky give his fake Immunity Idol to? A: Lyle, B: Hugo, C: Phil."

Once again, Mel and Nikko held up identical votes, this time holding up B's.

"Hugo is the correct answer. You both got it right." SSBFreak said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed at your knowledge, but we need to step it up or else we'll be here all day."

"Next question. How many jury members were there in Season 2? A: 9, B: 10, C: 11."

Mel and Nikko hesitated, then held up their votes. Mel was holding an A and Nikko a B.

"9 is the correct answer. Nikko is out and that means Mel is the winner!" SSBFreak said. "Nago wins Immunity!"

Everyone on the Nago Tribe cheered and (with the exception of Bonnie) congratulated Mel for winning. Everyone looked at SSBFreak to see what he had to say further.

"Congratulations for winning Immunity, Nago. You are all safe tonight. Temlin, however, must vote someone off at the next Tribal Council." SSBFreak said. "Additionally, Nago will-"

"You may want to hold that thought."

Everyone turned at the new voice and saw a doctor inspecting Tork's arm.

"Is something wrong, doctor?" SSBFreak asked.

"I've been inspecting Tork's arm after he got eliminated from the challenge and I can now confirm that his arm is broken." The doctor explained.

"Are…Are you serious?" Tork asked. "But…It doesn't hurt a lot…"

"It's only a small crack on the wrist, but it's still broken." The doctor explained. "If we let you continue any further, you may end up making it worse."

"Are you suggesting that we remove Tork from the game?" SSBFreak asked.

"It's the only way. I need to get this looked at so it can heal properly." The doctor replied.

Tork sighed. "Figures. And I was in a good position as well…"

"Did you bring his torch, doctor?"

The doctor nodded and left the area for a second, returning with a lit torch. He handed it to the platypus, who stood up and walked over to SSBFreak, holding the torch with his good hand.

"Sorry about this, Tork. But the doctor has spoken." SSBFreak sighed as he extinguished the torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Get the other tribe good, guys." Tork said as he followed the doctor out of the area, vanishing from sight.

"I was really hoping to get through the season without having to withdraw someone from the game, but apparently it didn't turn out that way." SSBFreak said. "Because of this incident, no one will be kidnapped and there will be no Tribal Council tonight. Temlin Tribe, consider yourselves very lucky. You can all head back to camp."

The two tribes slowly dispersed and went their separate ways, looking either shocked or surprised at the recent development. Reginald, however, looked a little worried. With Tork gone, his alliance had now decreased one-third and he was no longer in the majority.

"_I can't believe the bad luck I just had back there. One moment I'm in the majority alliance with no target painted on my back and the next I'm being forced out of the game because of an injury." Tork sighed. "Well, I suppose that's how the game works. Anything can happen to the least-likely of people. This could have happened to anyone on my team, and it just so happened to be me. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now but hope that the others get back at Bonnie for that cheap shot…"_

**Voting History:**

**Tork – Withdrew (No vote)**

_Author's Note: When I started this, I told myself that I wanted to have someone be pulled from the game. I wanted Tork to be an early boot and knew that he probably wouldn't realistically be voted off for a while, so I figured he'd be the best choice to withdraw._


	5. Days 10 to 12

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"_That…Was unexpected. Tork getting pulled from the game took even me by surprise, and it's a major setback for Nikko and I. With Tork gone, Nikko and I are no longer in the majority alliance for our tribe." Reginald said. "We need to rely on BOTH Jonathan and Zoe voting with us if we want to beat out Shee'Na, Sandy and Marty."_

"I think we all agree that that sucked on about ten different levels." Marty shook his head as the Temlin Tribe entered camp.

"Yeah. We really could have used Tork." Jonathan shook his head. "I didn't think his injury would have been bad enough for him to just leave the game like that."

"The doctors know what they're talking about." Zoe shrugged. "I guess they figured taking Tork out of the game was the best thing to do for him."

"Even still, this puts us at a disadvantage." Shee'Na mused. "We're down one member."

"We would have anyway." Jonathan reminded. "And Nago probably would have kidnapped Tork if the doctor didn't take him out first."

"…You make a valid point, human." Shee'Na noted. "I suppose we're fortunate that we didn't have to vote off anyone else."

"So what do we do now?" Nikko asked. "If we're already behind…"

"We need to try even harder at the next Immunity Challenge." Reginald replied. "I'm sure we can all agree on that. We need to get as many people as we can to the merge."

"Yeah. If only a few of us make it, the Nago Tribe will have an easy time picking us off." Nikko sighed.

"Maybe what we need is a distraction during the challenge!" Sandy said as she wandered towards the shelter. "Has anyone seen my Molotov cocktails around?"

"The producers confiscated them on the boat before the show started, remember?" Marty replied.

"…My sledgehammer?"

"You tossed it into the water when you arrived and it broke through the dock." Reginald replied, rolling his eyes.

"Uh…What about my tranquilizer gun?"

"You used all the ammo on the first mate aboard the ship before we even got to the island." Shee'Na said, an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, it wasn't MY fault he made the stupid decision to grab my butt! I didn't even find him that attractive!" Sandy insisted.

"_I think Sandy may end up being a target before she knows it. She may scare the rest of the tribe into voting her off and I'm not sure if she realizes it." Nikko admitted. "I think the only real reason Shee'Na is keeping her around is because she has her vote. I have a feeling that they're going to turn on each other before the game's over, though. I just hope it happens sooner than later, because those two working together seriously gives me the creeps."_

Because they didn't have to go to Tribal Council that night, the tribe ended up going to bed early seeing as they had nothing else to do. The only thing the members of the tribe could do now is hope that the Nago Tribe got really unorganized for the next challenge…

**(Nago Tribe, Day 10)**

Angie decided to actually wake up early so she and Elias could talk strategy. Bonnie wasn't due to wake up for a little while so the new alliance would actually be able to pitch a few ideas on what to do next without exposing themselves. Seeing that Elias was already awake, Angie left the shelter and made her way over to him.

"Well, now what?" Angie asked. "I have a feeling that you were planning on kidnapping Tork to further put the Temlin Tribe at a disadvantage."

"Indeed. I wasn't expecting him to get pulled from the game." Elias shook his head. "And the worst thing was that he wasn't exactly their strongest player, so they can still win challenges."

"And they seemed pretty organized as well." The yellow cat scratched her head. "I thought you said that you told Bonnie to create some friction if she got kidnapped."

"I did. Apparently, it didn't work out that well." Elias sighed.

"_I admit that I told Bonnie to make the other tribe hate each other if she got kidnapped. I wasn't expecting her to try the plan while EVERYONE on the other team was present, thus making the plan inaffective." Elias sighed. "I don't know what she was thinking when she did that. Now I'm afraid that I have to wait even longer to try and get some friction stirred up."_

"Then again, I guess I wouldn't expect anything more from Bonnie." Angie rolled her eyes.

"Indeed. It's getting harder and harder to find the will to take her to the end every day." Elias agreed.

Meanwhile, as Elias and Angie talked aside out of hearing range, Crane, Mel and Kida were sitting by the fire pit, watching them.

"Definitely an alliance going on." Crane said. "Seems like it's behind Bonnie's back considering that she's not there and Angie's actually awake relatively early."

"Kinda unusual considering how keen Elias was on getting rid of Angie, dude." Kida scratched her head.

"We'll need to watch out for those two once we make the merge." Crane noted. "Not only are they sneaky, but they're both threats."

"But we need the numbers to whittle away at the Temlin Tribe until we have the majority." Mel piped up.

"It won't matter if we already have the majority when the merge comes, Mel." Crane replied.

"_I don't like Elias and Angie talking together. I know they're planning something and they make a much-more formidable alliance than Elias and Bonnie." Crane explained. "However, Mel was right in saying that we needed the numbers. But the instant we're in the merge and we're in a comfortable majority, we need to take those two out before they out-play everyone else."_

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 10)**

"_Oy. I can't believe we've already been out here ten days. It feels like only yesterday were were starting this whole thing." Jonathan shrugged. "I guess the time goes by real fast when you consider that you can get eliminated at a moment's notice. I can assure you that several of us feel that way, but Zoe and I are confident because our votes are needed desperately."_

Leaving the shelter, Jonathan spotted Nikko using the fishing rod to try and catch food. Marty and Zoe sat aside, watching him fish. Jonathan decided to go see what was up and wandered over.

"Are the fish biting today?" Jonathan asked as he came over.

"Not yet." Nikko shook his head. "It's enough to drive an old elf crazy."

"Um…Maybe you're not doing it right." Zoe piped up.

"No, I'm definitely doing it right." Nikko argued. "The fish just aren't going for it, yet."

"I'm sure they'll come eventually, man." Jonathan shrugged.

"The others still sleeping?" Marty asked.

"Yeah. Shee'Na, Reggie and Sandy are still asleep, and I think Sandy's curled up with another monkey in there." Jonathan scratched his head. "This one seems to be a little more tame than the last one, though."

"Seriously, she needs to stop acting so strange." Marty shook his head. "It's starting to scare me."

"She's got skills, Marty." Zoe reminded. "That makes her an asset to the team."

"Yeah, I-"

"_**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

Everyone jumped at the scream and spun around, seeing Reginald chasing a monkey out of the shelter, screaming psychotically (like a Rabbid). A tired Sandy and Shee'Na emerged from the shelter after him.

"Something tells me that Reginald doesn't like waking up to something that'll scare him." Nikko noted.

_Reginald sat in front of the camera, holding his head. "Sometimes…I really…REALLY…Hate being a Rabbid…" He lamented._

**(Nago Tribe)**

The instant Bonnie was up, Angie made herself scarce and retreated away from Elias to make sure the boxer didn't know about the alliance. As Bonnie and Elias were off talking 'strategy', Angie decided to go over and see if D'looa and Kida were willing to talk with her a bit.

"Hey, girls?" Angie asked as she approached the two alien females.

"What's up, little dude?" Kida asked.

"I'm actually here to talk strategy." Angie replied. "After we get rid of Bonnie, I think we may have to target Mel and Crane."

"Uh…Are you sure, Angie?" D'looa asked.

"You can't ignore that they're not the strongest in the tribe." Angie pointed out. "If we lose enough challenges, we may need to get rid of them."

Kida bit her lip and looked at D'looa. "She's got a point, man." She admitted. "We can't afford to lose Barney or Elias this early."

"But…We're friends with those two…" D'looa protested.

"I know it'll hurt. It would hurt me as well." Angie admitted. "But we have to remember that only one person can win in the end. You'll have to vote them out eventually."

"_I'm slightly ashamed to say it, but voting out Mel or Crane wouldn't hurt me as much as I said it would. I just said that to get on the good side of D'looa and Kida." Angie admitted with a shrug. "Elias thinks Crane could become a big threat and, with him teaching Mel a few things, she's got the potential of becoming an even bigger threat. I agree with him in saying that they'll have to go next."_

Meanwhile, another talk was going on, this one going on behind the shelter, as did most of their talks.

"So it's agreed that after the geek goes, we take out that stupid rudie?" Bonnie asked. "After that, we take out the cat."

"Why Crane?" Elias asked, an eyebrow raised behind his shades.

"No one talks back to me and gets away with it." Bonnie replied sharply. "I want to be the one to wipe that smirk off his face, but I'm willing to put up with him until after we dump the nerd."

"Bonnie, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You need to watch your attitude." Elias instructed strictly. "No one here likes you, and after hearing of your opinions on the others, I can see why. If you want to make the merge, you need to keep your mouth shut and NOT insult anyone."

"Even when they deserve it?" Bonnie asked, eyes narrowed.

"_Oh, come on! I know people would agree with me that the geek is worthless and the rudie is almost as bad! I'm just trying to get everyone else to agree with me!" Bonnie insisted. "I know that I may come off as an angry person, but I've given myself a mission to get rid of the cancer that plagues our tribe. If we want to win, we need to get rid of the weaklings."_

After Bonnie was done, she turned and walked away, Elias shaking his head and following her. However, standing behind a tree, just a few feet away from the conversation spot, was Barney, his back against the tree. Barney narrowed his eyes and folded his arms.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

It took a bit of waiting, but Nikko finally managed to get some fish. The old elf hauled the fish onto the shore one at a time as a few others returned with fruit. After catching a few small fish, Nikko went back to the rest of the tribe, seeing Sandy sitting next to Reginald and taunting him.

"What's the matter, bunny-man? Ya don't like monkies that much?" Sandy taunted. "Is that why you screamed when you woke up?"

"For your information, I happen to get scared when I wake up next to something that isn't supposed to be there in the first place." Reginald said through his teeth. "Now can we PLEASE put that behind us?"

"Sorry, but the scream just sounded so funny, Reggie." Sandy laughed.

"Reginald!!" Reginald shouted at Sandy, turning around fast enough to lose his balance on the log he was sitting on. Reginald fell over and landed on his back, resulting in a fit of laughter from Sandy, whom also ended up falling off the log.

"_Sandy doesn't like to drop subjects if she thinks she can get a few laughs out of them first. I could tell that Reginald had been hearing Sandy's taunts for a while and he was pretty much at his wit's end." Nikko noted. "I know that Sandy's got a warped mind, but I could tell that Reginald didn't want to talk about the whole 'monkey' incident this morning."_

In spite of the recent events, Shee'Na chuckled. "Okay, Sandy. You've had your fun." The Klingon noted.

"THANK you." Reginald muttered as he sat back down.

"You Klingons are no fun, Shee'Na." Sandy shook her head.

"Man. Having the fishing rod makes things so much easier for us." Jonathan laughed as he started eating his fish. "I wonder what the other tribe eats since they don't have a beach like we do."

"Mainly just fruit." Marty shrugged. "At least that's what I noticed while I was over there."

"They've sure got it a lot rougher than us." Nikko said with a smirk. "I wonder how they manage over there."

"Not that great. I can say that we're definitely the more-organized team." Marty shrugged.

"That's so awesome! We've got an advantage over them!" Zoe cheered (Jonathan and Shee'Na, sitting on either side of her, nearly fainted from the stench). "Now we just need to focus on winning more challenges than them so we can go to the merge with more members!"

"_The Nago Tribe seriously doesn't have the luxury that we do? Now that IS a quite interesting discovery if I say so myself." Reginald said with a smirk. "While we may have gotten lucky with the campsite location, we can't overlook the fact that we're still one man short. We still need to focus on beating the other tribe at challenges no matter how much of an advantage we have."_

**(Nago Tribe)**

Barney walked over to the fire pit, where several of the other members were sitting. Mel and Crane noticed him coming.

"There you are, Barney!" Mel greeted. "Where were you?"

"Around." Barney shrugged.

"You've been vanishing for minutes on end for the past couple of days, bro." Kida noted. "Why is that?"

Barney seemed to hesitate. "Nothing." He replied.

"_Barney's been looking pretty serious for the past while. We don't know what's been eating him, but I think it's serious. He's usually a pretty cheerful guy, but seeing him acting like this is throwing us all for a loop." D'looa shrugged. "I wonder what's been going on to make him act this way…"_

"Where did Bonnie and Elias go?" Barney asked, looking around.

"Bonnie stalked past us a few minutes ago and went into the jungle." Mel replied. "Elias has been sitting by the shelter, thinking, for that long as well."

"Probably calculating some new way to turn the game around on us." Crane muttered.

"Crane, you're acting a little harsh. I know we're not very fond of Elias, but that doesn't mean he's always looking for ways to backstab us." D'looa said. "He's probably thinking up some game strategies for us to use against the Temlin Tribe at the next challenge."

"Then why isn't he telling us these 'strategies'?" Crane asked. "There's gotta be a reason why he's being so secretive."

"You worry too much." D'looa pointed out.

"I just find him a little hard to trust, especially when he reminds me a lot of the power-hungry leader of the Golden Rhinos back home."

"_That little dude seems to have some sort of resentment towards Elias, man. I mean, more than we thought. He just doesn't like the dude." Kida said. "He says that he's got these gnarly feelings and he doesn't trust him, but I think Crane's got to loosen up a little bit. If he gets too paranoid about Elias, he may end up being a target."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

After saying that they would go get fruit to the rest of the tribe, Shee'Na and Sandy went into the jungle. However, when they got to the fruit grove, the two women simply stood around and talked.

"I'm not liking the position we're in, Sandy." Shee'Na shook her head as she leaned against a tree. "That rabbit must be very persuasive or else he wouldn't have gotten the two swing votes to begin with. We're at a severe disadvantage."

"Well, there's Marty." Sandy supplied, sounding strangely sane once again. "We can bring him onto the alliance."

Shee'Na looked away. "I don't know."

"I think you've been holding onto this grudge against Marty for too long." Sandy scolded the taller (and stronger) woman. "It's not like he WANTED Lilah to get eliminated."

"…I know. It's just that I've never really been one to make friends." Shee'Na admitted. "Klingons in general aren't very social beings, but…"

"But you saw something different with Lilah and befriended her, only to have her taken away from you the next day, resulting in you pinning the blame on the person whom wasn't even there because he would have gone home instead of her?" Sandy asked quickly (and in one breath).

Shee'Na looked at Sandy, amazed. "Uh…Yes." She nodded.

"Shee'Na, I know that you're not fond of Marty, but he's the best chance we have at outlasting Reggie and Nikko." The black-haired woman pointed out.

Shee'Na paused for a few seconds, glancing at Sandy. "When did you get so smart?" She asked.

"I'm an accountant. It's part of the job." Sandy said with a smile.

"…_Okay. Sandy simply amazes me. One second she's off her rocker and the next she's making the most sense I've heard out of anyone on the tribe." Shee'Na said with wide eyes. "Does that woman have some sort of split-personality or something? Or is she just playing us all by acting crazy and she's really a genius?"_

_Sandy sat with her back to the camera, but just kept talking. "I remember there was this one time I was walking down the street when I saw Sam & Max drive past in their Desoto while Max was screaming into his megaphone as a makeshift siren. After that, I idolized those two and decided that I wanted to be just like them. After that, I-" Sandy rambled, seemingly oblivious that she wasn't even facing the camera. She paused, then turned around to look at the camera. "Oh. There you are."_

"You have a point. We may have to bring the Koopa onto the alliance if we want to go any further." Shee'Na nodded. "Well, maybe we should head back to camp before they figure out what we've been doing."

"Uh, I think we should take some fruit considering that's what we said we would get in the first place." Sandy pointed out.

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot."

Eventually, night came around again. Both tribes went to sleep, knowing that they were due for another challenge. Everyone wondered if it was for Reward or for Immunity…

**(Nago Tribe, Day 11)**

"_Okay. It was a new day and that meant that I would start my mission to get Crane and Mel together and stuff." Kida announced. "It'll be hard, especially with Crane being stubborn, but it can be done, man. I can totally see that he likes her, but I know that he's gonna deny everything. Heh. That'll just make him a little tougher to crack."_

"Treemail here yet, dudes?" Kida asked as she came walking over to other members of the tribe, carrying fruit.

"Not yet. I was just about to go check again." Mel shook her head. "Did you see if Angie was still asleep?"

"Yeah. I checked when I passed by the shelter, man." Kida nodded. "She's still out like a light."

"She'll be up with us when we get treemail." D'looa sighed. "Like she always is."

"I'll go check and see if we have any." Mel said as she walked towards the treemail box.

Kida grinned as she looked down at Crane, whom was watching the computer geek walk off. "You gonna go with her, man?" The Rilgarian asked.

Crane turned away, looking bored. "Why would I want to do that?" He asked.

"Think of it as a way to give her some more company. She can relate to you the most because you're actually around her age, man!" Kida pointed out.

Crane paused, then sighed. "I don't know why you're making me do this." He said as he went off to go after Mel.

D'looa raised an eyebrow at Kida. "What's up with you, Kida?" She asked.

"Dude, Crane's crushing on Mel." Kida explained. "I'm just trying to find ways to get them to hang around each other a little more."

_D'looa sat in front of the camera for a few seconds before slapping herself on the forehead. "Sometimes, I don't know what Kida's thinking. Her heart's in the right place in trying to get those two together and all, but she's going about it all wrong." She explained. "If this plan of hers blows up in her face and Crane and Mel end up drifting apart, I'm going to be so mad at her…"_

Bonnie and Elias approached the fire pit, the former looking a little mad. Elias had obviously told her to bottle up her temper again. Angie had also finally woken up and was leaving the shelter.

This left Barney as the only absentee from the crowd. Kida looked around and scratched her head. "Anyone seen Barney around?" She asked. "He's been disappearing lately."

"We've got treemail!" Mel cheered as she and Crane came rushing back over.

"What's it say?" A voice asked from behind Kida. The Rilgarian turned around and found herself staring at Barney. The alien girl jumped in fright. "D-Dude, where the heck did you come from?!" She asked.

"Looks like we're going to the beach for the challenge." Crane noted, reading the letter. "It's mentioning something about a new twist on an old sport…"

"Great. That Klingon woman's gonna OWN us." Barney moaned.

"Barney, you're as strong as she is." Elias reminded. "Why are you so afraid of her?"

"She's scary…" Barney replied nervously.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 11)**

"_If I said Nikko and I weren't at a disadvantage, I'd be lying. Shee'Na and Sandy are in an alliance and I think they're going to bring Marty onto it as well." Reginald said. "I need to rely on Jonathan and Zoe to stick with us and vote the way we want. I managed to convince them to vote with me before, so I can definitely do it again."_

"Jonathan, I need to talk to you." Reginald said as he approached Jonathan.

"Yeah? What is it?" Jonathan asked.

Reginald looked around to make sure Shee'Na and Sandy were nowhere to be seen before continuing. "I need some extra support for my alliance. I know that you've voted with me in the past, but I need the support to be concrete." He explained.

"Do you have any reason to doubt me?" Jonathan asked with a smirk.

Reginald lifted an eyebrow. "Other than the fact that you and Zoe haven't officially joined an alliance yet?" He challenged.

"Well, I dunno…It's always good to have a swing vote, you know."

"Hey, if you don't want to join me, that's fine." Reginald shrugged. "Just don't be surprised if I decide to target you once we make the merge."

With that, Reginald turned and walked away. Jonathan watched him go, then smirked.

"_Did Reginald seriously try to scare me with that threat? If he did, it was a pretty weak job. He needs Zoe and I to survive in this game because he has to vote out ALL of Shee'Na's alliance if he wants to win." Jonathan explained. "I actually find it pretty funny that he'd resort to threats to get votes. He must be pretty desperate…"_

As Jonathan was talking to Reginald, Zoe had gone up to the treemail box and looked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw a letter sitting in it. Plucking the letter from the box, Zoe bounded back down to the campsite.

"Guys! Guys! We've got treemail!" Zoe called out.

The entire tribe plugged their noses at the familiar stench from Zoe's tail, but tried their hardest to ignore it as they gathered around the skunk girl.

"What's it say, Zoe?" Marty asked.

"'Follow the directions given and go to the beach for your next challenge. We're going to put a new twist on an old sport'." Zoe read.

Shee'Na grinned. "Fantastic. Another shot at the Nago strongman." She said, rubbing her hands together.

"We don't know what this sport will be, Shee'Na." Nikko reminded. "This sport will probably end up being someone none of us will expect."

"Well, either way, I'm going to get a chance to fight him again." The Klingon replied with a shrug.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The two teams walked onto the beach and went over to their respective mats, showing the eight members of Nago and seven members of Temlin that there were fourteen small rafts sitting by the shoreline.

"Welcome to the fourth Reward Challenge, everyone. This challenge I'm sure everyone will be familiar with, but not with how it's played." SSBFreak said with a smirk. "Basically, we're playing a round of 'water-soccer'. Seven people from each team will go out into the water on those rafts and start throwing a ball around with the provided netted sticks. Six people will act as players and one will be the goalie." He said as he pointed out two goals in the water. "The six playing players will need to use the sticks provided to throw the ball into their opponents' goal. The first to three goals is the winner. The reward for this challenge will be two large bags of rice, which I assume you all will be wanting."

Indeed, everyone was looking more determined now that they knew what was up for grabs. Before continuing, SSBFreak looked at the Nago Tribe. "Nago, you have one extra member. You need to sit someone out."

"Called it." Bonnie said.

"W-What?!" Angie asked. "But I hate water and Barney can't swim!"

"Your problem, short stuff." Bonnie replied. "There's no way I'm going out there."

"Well, if everyone can get on a raft and make their way out to the playing field, we can begin." SSBFreak said.

**(Later…)**

Angie was horrified to have so much water surrounding her, but looked around the field. Barney, wobbling on his raft to try and stay on, was the goalie for Nago. Shee'Na, looking much more comfortable and confident on her raft, was the goalie for Temlin.

SSBFreak stood on the shore, holding the ball. "You guys ready?" He asked Jonathan and Crane, the two players in the middle of the field and the ones that would fight for the ball first. "For Reward, get ready…Go!" He shouted, hurling the ball into play.

The ball landed in the water and Crane was able to swipe it first. Spinning on his raft, Crane hurled the ball with the netted lacrosse stick provided and sent it in Mel's direction. Unfortunately, the ball was thrown awkwardly and landed in the water a ways away.

"The ball's loose!" Shee'Na shouted. "Sandy! The ball's loose!"

"On it!" Sandy laughed as she used her stick to paddle towards Mel, whom was rapidly trying to get closer to the ball. By now, everyone but the goalies were trying to padde towards the ball in an attempt to get a hold of it.

Mel managed to get to the ball first and scooped it up. "Got it!" She said as she tossed it towards Kida, whom easily caught it before it touched the water.

"Awesome!" She said as she looked towards Elias. "Head's up, bro!" She said as she threw the ball towards the actor.

Elias tried catching the ball, but couldn't get it and could only watch as it fell into the water again. This started another race towards the ball, which was quickly scooped up.

"Sweet! We've got it, now!" Sandy cheered as she lifted her stick into the air and hurled the ball towards Marty.

The koopa wasn't expecting this, seeing as he was actually further away from Nago's goal than Sandy was. "Ack!" He shouted as he managed to catch the ball. "Man. That was close."

Seeing Reginald close to the goal, Marty tossed the ball towards the rabbit. Reginald easily caught it and spun in place, hurling the ball towards the goal. Barney tried catch it, but was too busy trying to keep his balance to put any real effort into his attempt to sop the goal.

"Temlin scores! They lead 1-0!" SSBFreak called out from the shore.

"Put a little effort into it, you lazy-" Bonnie shouted from beside the host.

"Shut up!" D'looa snapped as she picked up the ball and tossed it at Angie. The terrified cat managed to catch the ball and she tried to throw it to Elias, but was too scared to do it well and the ball landed in the water a good ways away from her target.

"Koopa, the ball's right by you!" Shee'Na shouted.

Marty was quick to act and scooped up the ball. He threw it to Nikko, but the elder elf didn't have it for very long before Crane paddled over and stole the ball from him.

"I'll take that, thank you." He said with a smirk as he turned and hurled the ball at Kida. The Rilgarian easily caught the ball and started making her way across the field on her raft.

Zoe and Reginald quickly paddled in front of Kida as a defensive team to block her shot. Kida tried to throw the ball in between the two Temlin Tribe members, but Reginald was quick to intercept the shot. He quickly tossed the ball to Zoe.

"You've got a better arm, Zoe." Reginald instructed. "We need it to go over to Jonathan."

"Will do!" Zoe said with a smirk as she wound up and threw the ball.

Several Nago Tribe members rushed towards Jonathan as fast as they could, only to watch the ball fly overhead and land directly into Nikko's waiting hand.

Jonathan smirked. "Congratulations. You're all suckers." He said as Nikko threw the ball at Barney, sneaking it past him for another goal.

"Temlin scores again! They lead 2-0!" SSBFreak said. "One more goal and Temlin wins!"

"Are you lot even TRYING out there?!" Bonnie shouted.

Everyone on the field wisely chose to ignore the hothead as Elias scooped up the ball and tossed it towards Mel. Mel's eyes darted around the field for a few seconds before she tossed it at D'looa. The Twi'lek caught the ball and paddled a little closer to the net before tossing the ball to Crane.

"We need this point to stay alive!" Crane said. "D'looa, get closer to the net!"

"Right!"

As D'looa paddled her raft a little closer to the next, Crane started playing keep-away with Marty. Crane looked over and saw that D'looa was in position. He also saw that Reginald was rapidly paddling towards her.

"Head's up!" Crane shouted as he hurled the ball towards D'looa. The Twi'lek girl caught the ball and was quick to throw it at the net. Shee'Na wasn't ready for this and allowed the ball to slip past her.

"Nago scores their first point! It's now 2-1 for Temlin!" SSBFreak called out.

"We can still do this, guys!" Barney said from the goal as he watched Nikko pick up the ball. "We just need two points!"

Niko paddled inwards a little bit before scanning the field to see whom to throw to. "Sandy, catch!" He called out, throwing the ball to the crazy woman.

"Thanks, old timer!" Sandy said with a smirk as she paddled towards the goal a little more. Mel and Crane were quickly upon her, trying to take the ball from her. "Ain't gonna happen, kiddies." She said as she threw the ball over the heads of the two kids.

The ball went sailing towards Marty, but Elias was quick to intercept the shot. The actor quickly threw the ball to Kida, whom in turn threw it to Mel.

Mel tried to throw the ball at the net from where she was, but couldn't get a clear shot in with Reginald blocking her view. The tall Rabbid managed to steal the ball after Mel failed to throw it properly.

"Finish the job!" Reginald called out to Zoe, whom was close to the net. Reginald threw the ball towards her, hoping that she would put it in the net. The ball soared over the heads of nearly everyone else before the skunk girl managed to catch it without letting it hit the water.

"Please let this go in…" Zoe muttered to herself as she hurled the ball at the net. Barney tried to stop it, but lost his balance and let the ball go past him as he struggled to regain his footing.

"Zoe just scored the final goal! Temlin wins Reward!" SSBFreak shouted.

Zoe cheered, making everyone really grateful that they weren't near her due to the stench surrounding her raft.

**(Later…)**

"You guys really like these Reward Challenges, don't you?" SSBFreak asked as he handed Zoe the two bags of rice (Jonathan picked up one of them to decrease the carrying load for Zoe). "Congratulations on winning Reward again, Temlin." He turned towards the losing tribe and shrugged. "You guys need to work even harder at the Immunity Challenge tomorrow if you want to stay alive." He warned. "I'm sure the Temlin Tribe will be bringing everything to the table."

With that, SSBFreak stepped backwards and placed his hands behind his back. "You can all head back to camp." He said.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"Boy! We rocked that challenge!" Marty cheered as he walked into camp with everyone else. "Now we got even more options for food!"

"And the other tribe is just stuck with the fruit." Jonathan added with a smirk before looking at Zoe. "That was a nice throw, Zoe. You play sports at all?"

"No, but you need to have strong arms when you're a mechanic." Zoe pointed out. "I'm actually surprised that the ball went into the net."

"The important thing is that it did." Reginald said. "We won the challenge and we've got some rice."

"_I still can't believe that I scored the winning goal! This feels so awesome! Now I feel important to the tribe for winning!" Zoe cheered (seemingly oblivious that the cameraman was wearing a clothespin on his nose). "Then again, there was something on the other team that seemed to be holding them back. Maybe that's how we were able to beat them so easily."_

"I wonder how we were able to win so easily." Jonathan mused.

"Bonnie sat out. That's why." Nikko replied. "She forced Angie, whom is terrified of water, to play by sitting out."

"I wonder what she was thinking. If you want to win a challenge, you can't force someone everyone knows won't do well to play." Shee'Na said. "That won't get you anywhere."

"Maybe she's trying to take the target off herself and paint it on Angie." Zoe supplied. "It's obvious even to us that the other team's planning on getting rid of her."

"Strategy coming from the hothead no one likes? What is the world coming to?" Sandy asked. "What next? An overweight, Italian plumber becoming a gaming icon?"

Everyone stood in silence, then looked at Marty. Said koopa scratched his head for a couple of seconds before deciding not to question the crazy woman.

"But even if that were the case, I'm not sure if it would work." Nikko admitted. "If everyone knows that Angie is afraid of water, then there's no one else to blame but Bonnie for forcing her to play."

"Indeed. But still, a win is a win." Reginald shrugged. "We've got the rice and that's all that matters."

"But we still need to remember to use it sparingly." Shee'Na reminded. "This is all we have and we need to make it last."

**(Nago Tribe)**

"I can't believe how horribly you all did! We needed that win!" Bonnie shouted before turning on Angie. "You little freak! This is all your fault!"

"How is this MY fault?!" Angie asked defensively. "Everyone here knows that I'm terrified of water!"

"She's right, man." Kida jumped in. "If we wanted to have a fair shot at winning, we should have sat Angie out. Uh…No offense, dudette."

"None taken, because I agree with you." Angie shook her head.

"_Apparently, I'm a target for elimination on my tribe, even though the reason completely escapes me at the moment." Bonnie sighed. "So I figured that I'd draw a target on the back of someone else and saw an opportunity to make the cat play in the water. It ended up costing us, but that'll just make the target even bigger and take focus away from me for now."_

"Why'd you sit out, Bonnie?" Barney asked, folding his arms. "Even with you on the team, it could have at least been closer."

"That cat already sat a game out. I want to make sure that she does her share around here." Bonnie replied.

Elias slapped himself on the forehead.

"Like always, you weren't thinking." Crane sighed. "And now, thanks to you, we didn't win the Reward Challenge and we have to continue eating nothing but fruit."

"How are you blaming me for this?!" Bonnie demanded. "I didn't even play the stupid game! You should be blaming the cat!"

"It's because of you sitting out and forcing Angie to play we lost!" Crane snapped back.

"You think you can get away with talking to me like that?! Maybe I should get people to vote YOU off at our next Tribal Council!"

The white-haired rudie smirked and folded his arms. "Yeah. Try and get people who hate your guts to vote for someone who's actually USEFUL in challenges." He said. "Good luck with that."

Seeing no way to win the argument, Bonnie turned and stamped away again. As Crane watched her go, smirking triumphantly, Mel stared in amazement.

"_I still can't believe Crane can actually stand up to her like that! He's been teaching me to stand up for myself a bit, but I'm nowhere NEAR his level yet." Mel admitted. "I'm really thankful for the help he's been giving me, though. For some reason, I really enjoy the time he teaches me what he knows."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Needless to say, the rice was a welcome taste to the Temlin Tribe, whom had gotten used to eating nothing but fish and fruit for the past while. The rice had been given in small portions to conserve it, but everyone seemed okay with it, knowing that they needed to have it carry them further.

"It's good that we managed to win the Reward Callenge, but we need to focus on the Immunity Challenge tomorrow." Reginald pointed out. "Those seem to be where we falter."

"Yeah. We've lost two out of three Immunity Challenges already." Zoe agreed. "The Nago Tribe is just going to be even more determined to beat us."

"We just need to hope that the Immunity Challenge will be something we can benefit from." Shee'Na noted. "The first time we lost, it was because of the fast cat. The second time was because that one girl happened to know more than we did."

"_Shee'Na was right. We're at a disadvantage here because we're down one person and I bet the Nago Tribe is going to try and exploit that weakness to their advantage." Marty assured. "We just need to hope that the Immunity Challenge will have things we're all good at, because we need to win to stay in the game."_

After finishing their meal, the team split off. Reginald and Nikko ended up talking by the beach, making sure that they were alone.

"What do you think, Reginald?" Nikko asked. "Who should we gun for first?"

"Marty. He's the only one we can afford to lose at the moment and he seems intent on joining Shee'Na's alliance." Reginald replied. "We're already in the minority alliance now."

"There's Jonathan and Zoe." Nikko supplied.

"And what good will they be as swing votes?" Reginald quizzed. "Unless we can secure them as members of our alliance, they'll vote for whoever they see fit."

"And they could turn on us." Nikko finished. "Hmm…We'll have to find some way to get them onto our side, then."

"We need to act quick before Shee'Na and the others do the same."

"_Reginald and I are in a tight spot. We need the votes desperately and we don't know if we can trust Jonathan and Zoe to vote with us." Nikko said. "If we want to beat the other alliance, we need to find a way to get the two swing votes to join us and vote them off, but I'm not sure if we'd be able to do even that…"_

Night eventually came again and everyone on both teams was asleep, awaiting the next day.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 12)**

"So what do you think?" Angie asked Elias, having woken up early again to talk to him.

"Bonnie is definitely digging her own grave here. That little outburst yesterday indicates that she was trying to blame you for our loss." Elias replied. "Interesting strategy, but a horrible way to do it."

"So you're not going to take her to the finals, now?"

"Even if I really tried, it would be virtually impossible now." Elias admitted with a sigh. "Though I keep telling myself that it's her own fault for letting the tribe hate her."

"_This is good. Elias has all but broken-off his alliance with Bonnie. This means that I can get into a solid alliance that actually has a chance of doing well in the game." Angie said with a grin. "Once we get rid of Bonnie, I won't have to hide anything anymore and I'd be able to talk strategy with Elias more frequently."_

"I have to say that I'm feeling a lot more confident with our alliance, though." Elias admitted further. "You're definitely a better player than you originally led on and I think we can outlast the other alliances."

"Even with one of said alliances having more members than us?" Angie asked, jerking her thumb towards Barney, Crane and Mel.

"It can be done." Elias nodded before spotting Bonnie leave the shelter. "You'd best go check for treemail. Bonnie's up."

"Crap!" Angie said as she used her speed and zipped off before Bonnie knew she was even there.

"What do you think the Immunity Challenge is?" Crane asked the others with him.

"I dunno, but the Temlin Tribe will be extra-determined to beat us." D'looa reminded. "They're down one member again."

"_We've gotten pretty lucky so far with Immunity Challenges. The only reason we didn't win the second one was because it ended up with Elias going against someone much more athletic then him." Mel shrugged. "But we know that things could go either way. We need to make sure than we're able to beat the other team."_

"We need to make sure that more of us make the merge than them." Crane noted.

"We're right there with you, dude." Kida nodded. "If we can win the next one, we'd be in a pretty comfortable spot and stuff."

"Hey! We've got treemail!" Angie called out, coming over with a letter.

"Looks like we've got an Immunity Challenge." Crane noted. "What's it say, Angie?"

"'Follow the given directions to your next Immunity Challenge. Is there anyone on your team who's a good leader'?" Angie read.

"Someone's going to be leading the rest of us, from the sound of things." D'looa scratched her head.

"I guess we should head out." Barney said. "The other team's probably got treemail by now as well."

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 12)**

Marty was munching on a mango as he strolled through camp. He saw Reginald and Nikko talking beside the shelter (obviously talking strategy), Jonathan and Zoe fishing at the beach and Shee'Na on her way to the treemail box to check it.

The scrawny koopa suddenly saw Sandy sitting in the middle of the camp, rowing an imaginary boat. A non-existent eyebrow raising, Marty wandered over to her.

"Uh…What're you doing, Sandy?" Marty asked.

"I'm practicing rowing a boat in case it's in the Immunity Challenge." Sandy replied.

"But…What if the challenge DOESN'T involve rowing a boat?"

"Then I'm making myself look like a tool for nothing." Sandy replied casually as she continued to 'row'.

"_I know Sandy's helpful, but she's crazy. The more days pass with her still here, the more I wish we could just get rid of her." Jonathan admitted. "I'm afraid that if we let her stay on the island too long, she'll be beyond help entirely. Sometimes I just think getting her off the island would actually be GOOD for her."_

"Catch anything yet, Jonathan?" Zoe asked as she looked at the water.

"Not yet." Jonathan shook his head. "Man. We could sure use a fish to tide us over for the challenge. Maybe eating would help us focus more."

"And I STILL haven't gotten Sandy's 'bear' method of catching fish down pat." Zoe shook her head, standing knee-deep in the water. "I don't know how she does it."

Jonathan didn't have the heart to tell Zoe that her stench may have been a factor in why she hadn't managed to catch any fish, but remained silent.

"_We're down one man and we need to win this so we can stay even with the other tribe. It'll be hard to pull ahead of them, but not impossible." Shee'Na said. "We need to be on top of our game for the upcoming challenge, and I think that if we keep our heads in the game, we'll pull out on top and manage to tie the game up."_

"We've got treemail, everyone." Shee'Na announced, coming over with a letter.

Sandy 'rowed' over to Shee'na, moving backwards across the sand until she was beside the Klingon. "What's it say?" She asked.

Shee'Na hauled the crazy woman to her feet. "It's asking if there's anyone on our team who's a leader." She replied.

"Well, we'd better go and get this done." Reginald said. "The other team may already be there by now for all we know."

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The two tribes walked out into a clearing somewhere on the island and stepped onto their respective mats. Everyone saw several puzzle pieces scattered around in groups of two and two empty puzzles in the middle of the clearing.

"Welcome to your fourth Immunity Challenge, everyone. This one will prove to us how great of a leader one of you may be." SSBFreak explained. "Everyone on each team will be blindfolded save for one person. That person will use his or her voice to direct everyone else around this clearing to collect puzzle pieces. You need one piece from each pair scattered around the area for the challenge. The blindfolded people will then take the puzzle pieces and, under the direction of the leader, put together the puzzle. The first tribe to complete the puzzle wins Immunity."

SSBFreak looked at the Nago Tribe as he continued. "Nago, you have one extra member. You need to sit someone out." He explained.

"I'll sit out." Crane shrugged.

"Okay. Everyone else, decide whom will be the one giving out directions."

**(Later…)**

Not surprisingly, the two leaders chosen were the smartest people on the island, Elias and Reginald. The two were sitting on platforms sitting three feet off the ground, allowing them to see all of the puzzle pieces scattered around. Everyong else was wearing blindfolds, ready to start the challenge.

"For Immunity, get ready…" SSBFreak said. "Go!"

Elias, whom had been putting together a plan in his head, was quick to act. "Mel, go straight! Angie, go with her for now! D'looa, turn around and walk straight! Barney, turn right and go forward!" He ordered. "Kida, you go left! Bonnie, you go with her and split off when I tell you to!"

Reginald, however, was right on Elias' heels. "Marty, there's a puzzle piece straight ahead. Nikko, go left." He directed. "Sandy, you head right. Shee'Na and Jonathan, you guys go with her. Zoe, turn around and start going that way."

Following directions from the leaders, the blindfolded players started moving and went in the general direction of the puzzle pieces. Sandy, moving a little faster, was the first to reach a puzzle piece.

"You've got it, Sandy!" Reginald said. "Okay! Jonathan turns right and Shee'Na keeps going straight. There's a puzzle piece beyond their platform!"

"Sweet!" Sandy said as she scooped up one of the two puzzle pieces (the second one was for the other team), turned around and started making her way back. In the meantime, Mel and Kida had just managed to get to their puzzle pieces.

"Okay! Bonnie, turn left again and go that way!" Elias instructed.

"You don't have to yell, you know!" Bonnie shouted back at him, but did as she was told anyway.

In the meantime, Zoe had just managed to get to her piece. Reginald saw this. "Zoe, you're right above the piece! Pick it up!" He directed.

Zoe bent over and picked up a piece of the puzzle. "Alright! I got one!" She cheered as she turned around and started making her way back.

Reginald looked over at Shee'Na and saw that she was walking towards the platform supporting Elias (he also saw D'looa finding a piece, but paid no attention to that). "Shee'Na, watch out!" He shouted. "You're about to walk into Elias' support platform!"

Shee'Na froze and stopped just inches away.

"Okay, feel your way around the platform! The piece is on the other side!" Reginald continued.

Elias chose to ignore Shee'Na and looked around. "Barney, you're about to pass the piece! Don't go too far!" He shouted.

This made Barney stop walking. "How close am I?" He asked.

"You're only a few feet away! Keep going!" Elias replied.

Barney bent over and started feeling the ground as he walked. Eventually, he stumbled upon a piece. Grinning, Barney picked it up and turned around, starting to make his way back.

"How close am I, Elias?" Angie asked.

Elias looked at Angie and saw that she was still a ways off. "Keep going, Angie. You're going right towards it, but it's still a good ways away." He said before looking at Bonnie. "Bonnie, you just passed the piece! Turn around!"

Reginald saw that only Angie and Bonnie had yet to collect pieces for Nago. So far, only Sandy and Zoe had managed to find a piece and Shee'Na was still trying to feel around the platform Elias was sitting on. Reginald saw Nikko getting close and spoke as quick as he could. "Nikko, stop! The piece is right by your feet!" He ordered.

The elder elf stopped and felt around, finding the piece eventually. Nikko scooped up the piece as Jonathan came upon his piece as well.

"It's just Marty and Shee'Na left, then." Reginald said to himself. "Marty, the piece is just ahead a few more feet! Shee'Na, you're almost there! Start feeling around!"

After directing Angie to her piece, Elias focused on Bonnie, but was running into a little bit of difficulty.

"Bonnie, you passed the piece again!" Elias said.

"You're the one giving me directions!" Bonnie shouted.

Elias took a breath. Every time he told Bonnie to turn so she could go back to the piece, she would miss it again. He decided to go a little simpler route. "Okay. Take one large step backwards." He said. Marty, by now, had collected his piece.

Bonnie did as she was told and finally came upon the piece, meaning that Nago had collected all six needed pieces of their puzzle. As Bonnie stumbled back to the empty puzzle, Shee'Na finally scooped up her piece.

"Okay, Shee'Na! Follow the sound of my voice and come back!" Reginald said. "We need to put the puzzle together quickly!"

"I'm coming!" Shee'Na replied as she turned and did a blind sprint forward, only to run straight into the platform holding Elias up.

Elias grabbed hold of his seat to prevent himself from falling off. "Watch where you're running, lady!" He accused.

Shee'Na, a little dizzy from the surprise hit, stumbled around the platform and staggered towards the empty puzzle, following Reginald's voice.

Now that everyone on his team had a piece of the puzzle, Elias decided to try and finish the challenge. "Everyone, show me what your pieces look like." He directed.

The six other members of Nago held up their pieces and Elias gave them a quick scan.

"Kida, you've got a corner piece. Let's start with yours." Elias said.

"Awesome, man. Where's it going?" Kida asked.

"Looking at the wording on it, I'd say bottom right corner of the puzzle." Elias replied.

"On it, man!" Kida nodded as she felt the empty puzzle and placed her piece down.

Elias looked at the remaining pieces. "Barney, I think your piece is next." He said. "Put it over Kida's."

"No problem." Barney said as he placed his piece down.

Meanwhile, Shee'Na had finally arrived and Reginald was currently looking over the pieces of the puzzle.

"Jonathan, put your piece in the bottom-left part of the puzzle." Reginald instructed.

"Okay." Jonathan said as he put his piece down. Reginald looked over the remaining pieces for something he could connect with the other one. "Nikko, you're next. I believe the bottom word is 'job'."

Elias smirked as Mel placed down her puzzle piece. "I think I know what we're spelling!" He said. "D'looa, place your piece beside Mel's! Angie, place yours above Mel's!"

The two girls placed their puzzle pieces down, leaving only Bonnie's space left. Elias knew this. "Bonnie, feel the hole in the puzzle and place your piece down accordingly." He instructed.

Bonnie felt around the puzzle for a few seconds, then felt her piece. Bonnie quickly jammed her piece into the remaining slot, forming a six-piece puzzle that read 'Great Job!'. Temlin had only managed to get three pieces down when Nago finished.

"The puzzle is complete!" SSBFreak said. "Nago wins Immunity!"

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Immunity again, Nago. You're all safe tonight." SSBFreak said before turning towards an upset Temlin Tribe. "Temlin, however, will have to vote someone off tonight. This will put you guys down two people for the next two challenges." The tall host looked again at Nago. "Nago, you can kidnap someone from Temlin and protect them from the vote tonight. Remember that you cannot kidnap the same person twice, so Marty is out of the question."

The Nago Tribe went into a huddle to discuss what they were going to do.

"What do you think? Whom should we kidnap?" D'looa asked.

"Shee'Na cost the team the win." Mel supplied.

"But Temlin needs-"

That seemed to be enough incentive for Bonnie, whom broke out of the huddle. "Shee'Na!" She shouted.

This surprised everyone on Temlin, including Shee'Na. The Klingon woman wandered over, still unsure of how she was chosen.

"Shee'Na is safe tonight and will rejoin her tribe at the next challenge. Temlin, I will see you guys at Tribal Council tonight." SSBFreak explained. "You can all head back to camp."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"_For some reason or another, Shee'Na was kidnapped, even though she wasn't a target. I'm just confused as to how the Nago Tribe thought kidnapping her would be good strategy." Reginald said. "This is good, though. This puts her alliance at a disadvantage and Nikko and I can vote either Marty or Sandy off."_

"So what are we doing, Sandy?" Marty asked. "Are we voting for Reginald? Shee'Na seemed to have her eye on getting rid of him."

"I think we should leave the privilege of voting off Reginald to Shee'Na herself." Sandy replied. "We should get rid of Nikko."

"Whatever works. I just want to get on Shee'Na's good side." Marty shrugged. "What about Jonathan and Zoe? Those guys are the swing votes."

"They voted against us last time. Maybe we can get them to vote WITH us now." Sandy replied with a grin. "Maybe I can use my-"

"Please don't finish that sentence, Sandy." Marty sighed. "Look, can we find a way to get their vote WITHOUT the use of violence?"

Sandy blinked several times as she stood in silence.

"I forgot you idolized Max." Marty groaned, slapping himself on the forehead.

Meanwhile, the other alliance was talking, discussing the voting.

"This isn't good." Nikko sighed. "We'll be down two people now."

"It's not impossible odds." Reginald supplied. "We can still come back from behind."

"I hope so. We're depending on Jonathan and Zoe tonight." Nikko nodded. "We're voting for Marty, right?"

"Yes. As crazy as she is, Sandy is too valuable right now." Reginald nodded.

"_As of now, we've got two votes for Marty and two votes for either me or Reginald. We need Jonathan and Zoe to make it four votes for Marty and vote him off." Nikko explained. "I think we're becoming a little too dependant on the swing votes, but we can't seem to get them to join a concrete alliance with us. This could really go either way."_

**(Tribal Council)**

The six members of Temlin walked into Tribal Council, carrying their respective torches. Finding their seats, they sat down and waited for the host to start talking.

"Welcome to Tribal Council, Temlin Tribe. In a moment, one of you will be eliminated from the game." SSBFreak explained. "You all know the drill by now. The person with the most votes will be eliminated." He looked at the members of the tribe. "Zoe, were you surprised to see that Shee'Na got kidnapped?"

"Totally. She wasn't even a target." Zoe nodded. "We've talked and none of us are exactly sure what Nago was thinking when they decided to kidnap her. If they had been thinking straight, they would have kidnapped a weaker player."

"Reginald, you guys have won three of the four Reward Challenges thus far, but lost the same number of Immunity Challenges." SSBFreak said. "How does that make you feel?"

"Frustrated, to say the least. The fact that we've won most of the Reward Challenges shows that we're a formidable team." Reginald said. "It's just that we're caught off guard at the Immunity Challenges, were it counts the most. It just seems that the Immunity Challenges benefit someone on the Nago Tribe enough for them to pull off the win."

"Jonathan, after tonight you guys will be down two members. You think you can still manage to win?"

"The odds aren't in our favour, but they aren't impossible. We need to put our heads into the game at the next Immunity Challenge so we won't get…How do you say…Ulong'ed." Jonathan replied.

"Uh…Ulong'ed?"

"On the actual show, a tribe called the Ulong Tribe was swept, losing almost all Immunity Challenges and just leaving one member going to the merge." Jonathan replied. "If we don't want to end up like that, we need to win the next challenge."

"Marty, whom do you think is going home?"

"Either me or Nikko, depending on how the swing votes are played." Marty replied. "There's no question that Nikko and I are the weakest members of the tribe. We just need to hope that Jonathan and Zoe stick with us and vote the other one off."

"I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Reggie, you're up."

"Reginald!" Reginald shouted as he left the hut and walked along the platform to the voting jar.

Reginald wrote a name down and showed that he had voted for Marty. "You were right, kid. You're the weakest we've got." He explained.

Marty approached the table and wrote a name down, showing it to the camera. "I need to vote off the weakest one, and I can't really vote for myself." He explained, having voted for Nikko.

Zoe pondered her decision for a few seconds before writing a name down and shoving it into the voting jar.

Nikko walked up to the table and wrote a name down. "I said the same thing to Lilah. It's either you or me." He apologized, having voted for Marty.

Jonathan walked up to the table in thought, making his decision by the time he arrived. He wrote a name down and placed it into the jar.

Sandy walked up to the table and showed that she had voted for Nikko. "I'll save Reggie for Shee'Na." She said with a smirk.

After all six votes had been cast, SSBFreak went out to get the jar and came back. "Once I read the names, the one with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes…"

"First vote; Marty." The scrawny koopa wasn't very surprised, having known that he was a target.

"Marty." Again, Marty didn't look surprised. He simply waited impatiently for the next vote.

"Nikko. That's two votes for Marty and one for Nikko." Nikko wasn't very surprised either. He was expecting a vote anyway.

"Nikko. Two votes for Marty and Nikko." Marty and Nikko eyed each other, knowing that their fate lied in the hands of the swing votes.

"…Nikko." Nikko sighed. Reginald let out a low growl. "Last vote and fourth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Nikko. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Nikko said as he stood up and brought his torch over to SSBFreak, whom was holding the snuffer in his hand.

"Nikko, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak explained as he extinguished Nikko's flame. "It's time for you to go."

Nikko gave out one last sigh. "I know." He said as he walked out of Tribal Council, his head held low.

After the elven man was gone, SSBFreak looked at the five members remaining. "If tonight's vote showed anything, it's that swing votes are valuable, but they're still swing votes. If you're not careful, you may end up getting yourself eliminated." He explained. "Now you guys are two people down and you really need to step up your game if you want to catch up to Nago. You can all head back to camp."

The five Temlin members stood up and left Tribal Council with their torches, Reginald bringing up the rear. The tall Rabbid couldn't believe his horrible luck. Over the course of six days, he had lost both members of his majority alliance. Now that Nikko was gone, it was pretty much going to be him against the rest of the tribe…

"_I knew that my age would eventually be my downfall and that the others would view me as a liability. I'm just sorry that it happened this early in the game." Nikko sighed. "I tried my hardest to keep up with everyone, but it just wasn't enough in the end. Still, I managed to last twelve days out here. That's pretty good for an old coot like me…"_

**Voting History:**

**Nikko – Sandy, Marty, Jonathan and Zoe**

**Marty – Reginald and Nikko**

_Author's Note: The funny thing about Nikko is that he was originally planned to go a LOT further than he did, like last until the merge and everything. However, when I realized that he wasn't making as big an impact as I originally thought, I decided to make him an early boot (you'll see who he replaced when he or she gets eliminated)._


	6. Days 13 to 15

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Reginald was quiet as he followed the rest of his tribe back into camp. The tall rabbit was more frustrated at the turn of events than upset that his ally had been eliminated. In fact, Reginald had spent the majority of the trip back to camp in deep thought, working several plans together in his mind.

"_Nikko was eliminated at Tribal Council, meaning that my majority alliance has now become me and me alone against Shee'Na's alliance of three." Reginald explained. "I NEED Jonathan and Zoe's votes if I want to last any longer, because I KNOW that I can't rely on Sandy or Marty because of their loyalty to Shee'Na. This is definitely going to be an uphill battle for me, but it's not going to be impossible. I just need to pull a few strings."_

Upon arriving at camp, Reginald was quick to go to bed, with Jonathan and Zoe following close behind. This left Marty and Sandy awake, and the former stopped the latter from entering the shelter to talk to her.

"You think we made the best choice?" Marty asked. "I mean, Shee'Na HAS been wanting Reggie kicked off."

"But we still need him. The old elf was the weaker of the two and we're already down two people." Sandy reminded. "We'd have a better shot at winning with a stronger player."

Marty paused, then nodded. "Yeah. We ARE losing pretty badly now." He admitted. "I guess keeping Reggie over Nikko was the best choice."

"Good to see that we're both on the same page, short stuff." Sandy said with a grin. "We gonna hit the hay now?"

"Might as well. It's getting late." The scrawny koopa nodded.

"_I know people see me as insane, especially the people in my home town when I drive down the road and shout random phrases into a megaphone, but I have the smarts to get through the game." Sandy insisted with a grin. "I'll admit that my methods are a little unorthodox, but I assure you that when I have an idea on getting something done, it can be done. I just wish that the rest of my team would let me solve a problem my way once in a while so they could see what I'm capable of."_

Shortly after Marty and Sandy went into the shelter, the remaining members of the tribe were asleep, wondering what would happen the next day.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 13)**

Shee'Na was sitting underneath a tree, in deep thought, as the Nago Tribe was scattered around camp. The Klingon woman had been wondering why she had been kidnapped when she wasn't even a target, thus reducing her alliance number for Tribal Council.

"_For some reason or another, I had been taken from my tribe instead of one of the weaker members. I've been pondering the reason ever since I arrived here." Shee'Na said. "This isn't good. Unless that koopa joined up with her, I think Sandy may be a target because she's in my alliance. I have to admit that Marty was right about this tribe, though. These people definitely have it worse than us."_

The Klingon woman looked up and saw D'looa coming over. "Maybe you ca help me with something." Shee'Na said. "I'm curious as to why you lot thought I was in danger and kidnapped me."

"We didn't. Mel pointed out to us that you had cost your team the win, but before she could counter and say that they needed you, Bonnie broke away and said your name." D'looa sighed.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Shee'Na shook her head. "She seems to have a very one-track mind."

"Yeah, and she's been acting so smug with her decision, like kidnapping you was a GOOD idea." The Twi'lek sighed again before choosing to change the subject. "Who do you think was voted out last night?"

"With me gone, Sandy's pretty much on her own unless the koopa decided to join her." Shee'Na said. "This could be just what that rabbit needs to take one of us out."

"But we've noticed that Sandy's a pretty good player."

"The rabbit's alliance is already down one member. I wouldn't put it past him to keep the other alliance's numbers down so he can still outlast us."

"_Would Reginald really sacrifice a strong player to keep an opposing alliance's numbers down? I guess it makes sence, but shouldn't he want to wait until the merge to do that?" D'looa shrugged. "Then again, if Sandy was eliminated, we may have an easier time beating the Temlin Tribe in challenges."_

Shee'Na made a quick scan of the Nago Tribe and raised an eyebrow. "Where's that strongman of yours?" She asked.

D'looa scratched her head. "I don't know. Barney's been disappearing a lot lately and re-appearing when we least expect it." She admitted. "We're still not sure where he's going."

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 13)**

"What're we going to do, Jonathan?" Zoe asked fearfully as the two swing votes stood at the beach. "Now that we've voted off Nikko, Reggie's probably going to be real mad at us for switching."

"We're swing votes, Zoe. What's he going to do?" Jonathan asked with a smirk. "I know there's only two of us, but we've got the most power in the entrie tribe."

"Until we reach the merge, that is. Reggie's going to want to take out the both of us the instant he gets the chance!" Zoe insisted. "Unless we choose a side, we'll be in seriously hot water the instant Reggie doesn't 'need' us anymore."

That seemed to get some gears going inside Jonathan's head. The human pondered his friend's statement for several seconds.

"_Zoe made an extremely valid point. The instant she and I become expendable, we're both targets. We need to find some way to keep us in the game long enough for us to pull ahead and outlast everyone else." Jonathan admitted. "We need to come up with something fast, because I think that the merge may be coming up soon…"_

The two swing votes saw Sandy coming over, looking around.

"Have you guys seen a little guy around anywhere?" Sandy asked. "Uh…Scrawny, green shirt, has a nose the size of a grapefruit…"

Jonathan and Zoe looked at each other, then at Sandy. "Uh…Marty? We saw him go into the jungle earlier." Jonathan said.

"Oh. That's a relief. I thought the deranged sand weavals got to him." Sandy said in relief as she wandered off.

"I think she's lost it." Zoe pointed out.

"You talk like she's had it in the first place." Jonathan added.

**(Nago Tribe)**

After listening in on another of Elias and Bonnie's conversations (or rather Elias constantly reminding Bonnie that kidnapping Shee'Na was a bad idea), Barney managed to sneak away from his hiding place and make his way back to the rest of his team.

"Where the crap do you GO, bro?" Kida asked. "You keep disappearing on us."

"What are you talking about?" Barney asked as he sat down by the fire pit. "I've never left the campgrounds."

"How is that possible, man?! We're always turning this place inside out looking for you!" The Rilgarian girl pointed out.

"I guess you're not looking hard enough." The strongman shrugged.

However, Elias had heard the conversation that Barney had just had with Kida and his eyes narrowed in thought behind his shades.

"_I'm starting to get suspicious that Barney is listening in on the conversations I'm having with Bonnie. It makes sense since he always seems to show up as soon as we're done talking." Elias pointed out. "Not that this bothers me. He can listen in on those conversations all he wants so long as he's not listening in when I'm talking to Angie. Those are the ones that REALLY involve strategy."_

Deciding to hide his thoughts, Elias walked over to the contestants by the fire pit. "Okay. I assume we all agree that kidnapping Shee'Na was a bad idea." He said. He received several nods, save one.

"How is it bad? It's not like it's affecting us." Mel shrugged.

"But we should have kidnapped one of the weaker members." Elias pointed out. "The other tribe was sure to have voted off a weak player now and it could be harder to beat them with all of their strong players still in the game."

"Hey, it's not like it's our fault." Crane reminded. "The rules state that the first name said out loud is final."

"I know. But it IS our fault for letting Bonnie hear our words during the huddle, allowing her to jump to conclusions." Elias sighed.

"So what are we going to do, then?" Angie asked.

"I guess we have to try our hardest at the next challenge." Barney shrugged. "But we're still in a good position. We've already got a two-man lead on them."

"Also true, but games like this give countless opportunities for dramatic comebacks." Elias pointed out.

"_I hate to say it, but he DID have a good point. If we let our guard down for even a minute, WE'LL be the ones trailing." Crane noted. "It's good that we've got a lead, but we can't let this sway us. We need to beat these guys at the Immunity Challenges to ensure victory for one of us, but the biggest question is how we're going to be able to do it."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Marty walked through the jungle alone, claiming to have gone to look for fruit, but the main reason being to have some time to think by himself.

"_Coming into this, I was viewed as a target and would have most likely been eliminated on the first episode if I hadn't been kidnapped." Marty explained. "Now I'm in a position where I may actually have a shot at outlasting the others. I know that I still need to get on Shee'Na's good side in order to secure a spot in the majority alliance, but if I can, I'll be in a comfortable position over the others."_

"Hopefully, Shee'Na will trust me after she sees that I helped Sandy take out one of the other alliance members." Marty said to himself. "If she doesn't see that I'm serious about joining the alliance then, I think I'm probably screwed by the next Tribal Council."

Deciding to start looking for fruit to say that he wasn't exactly lying about his reason for coming out into the jungle, Marty's nose started picking up a scent. Marty followed the scent until he had arrived at a tree that had so far been left untouched.

Marty's eyes lit up when he saw the fresh fruit that was in the tree. "Dragon Fruit?! Here?! No way!" He exclaimed as he scurried up the tree. "Oh, this is awesome!"

The scrawny koopa managed to collect several of the fresh fruit and rushed back down the tree, trying not to slip with an armful of fruit in his arms.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Reginald had just woken up, and was having a heated discussion with Jonathan and Zoe.

"I thought I was able to trust you two after we voted off Lilah! What the crap happened?!" Reginald demanded. "You two have just destroyed my alliance!"

"We voted for whom we thought was the weakest, man." Jonathan pointed out, standing in front of a scared Zoe. "We just thought that Marty was of more use to us than Nikko."

"_Do I feel betrayed that Jonathan and Zoe didn't vote with me? Not really. I should have expected this from the swing votes." Reginald said. "But being a swing vote can only get you so far, and I promise that when I feel the time is right, I'm taking them both out of the game. Unfortunately, with us being behind, I need both of them for a little while longer."_

"I would suggest that the two of you watch your backs from now on." Reginald warned. "I assume your decision may come back to haunt you in the end."

With that, Reginald turned and walked away. Jonathan and Zoe blinked a few times before looking at each other.

"Did we just get threatened by a deranged rabbit?" Zoe asked.

"I believe we did."

**(Nago Tribe)**

Shee'Na was still talking with D'looa, although Angie had joined the conversation as well. The Klingon woman had to admit that she was enjoying the company of some of the other tribe members, but there was no way she was going to admit that out loud.

"I've noticed that the skater and the computer technician are hanging out a little more." Shee'Na noted. "You know what the deal is with them?"

"Kida's trying to get them hooked up." D'looa sighed. "In all honesty, I think she's going about it the wrong way."

"Other than that, Crane's been trying to teach Mel to stand up for herself." Angie added. "Sort of a way to stand up to Bonnie's verbal assaults that she gives her."

"I have to admire that. Definitely a worthy cause." Shee'Na nodded. "That loudmouth IS pretty abusive to her in particular."

"We don't know why Mel's the one she's always shouting at as well." D'looa scratched her head. "I mean, she's shouted at Crane and Angie as ways to take blame off of herself…"

"But Crane stood up to her and everyone agreed that her forcing me out into the water was a bad idea." Angie added.

"_Shee'Na seems okay for a Klingon. I always pictured Klingons as a bloodthirsty race bent on ultimate victory over humans." D'looa shrugged. "I've seen Toydarians with more attitude than Shee'Na. Maybe she's from the Next Generation franchise where Klingons are a little more peaceful…"_

The conversation between the three women was cut short when a familiar hothead approached from behind.

"What are you two thinking by talking to her?! We've kidnapped her and she's competition, so we have to make life miserable for her! Not befriend her!" Bonnie shouted.

"Like YOU would know anything about befriending people." D'looa rolled her eyes.

"Say that again, you little-"

Shee'Na instantly cut Bonnie short by grabbing the hothead by the face with one hand. "You obviously didn't learn your lesson when we kidnapped you." Shee'na said calmly, although still glaring daggers into Bonnie's eyes. "If you know what's good for you, shut up!"

The Klingon woman shoved Bonnie away roughly, making the hothead stagger backwards a couple of feet before tripping and landing on her behind. Without bothering to give Shee'Na a reply, Bonnie stood up, spun on her heels and stalked away.

"Mel could learn a thing or two from you as well, Shee'Na." D'looa said with a smirk. "You actually got Bonnie to leave without a fuss."

"Klingons are naturals when it comes to dealing with annoyances." Shee'Na shrugged casually.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"Man! This stuff is awesome!" Zoe said energetically as she took a bite out of a Dragon Fruit. "Where'd you find these, Marty?"

"In the grove with the rest of the fruit, just a little hidden from view." Marty replied. "Honestly, the only reason I found them was because I was able to smell them a little better than previous days."

"That just means that they're fresh." Jonathan said with a grin. "Still, I wonder how these fruits are able to grow on an island like this."

"They must have planted seeds a while before production started so the trees would grow during the game." Reginald replied.

"_I had to admit that the dragon fruit Marty found was a welcome taste." Reginald noted. "Up until now, the fruit we had been eating mainly consisted of mangoes, bananas and pineapples, so eating something that different felt extremely good for me and I'm sure everyone else agrees."_

"You picked one extra fruit, Marty." Sandy pointed out the spare fruit that the koopa had returned with.

"I'm saving it for Shee'Na when she comes back tomorrow." Marty replied. "I'm sure she'd like the change of flavor like the rest of us."

"_Marty's been so keen on getting onto my alliance. I think he just wants to get into the majority. Hey, I'd let him in. I like the kid." Sandy admitted with a grin. "Shee'Na's the one that would have to agree to let him in, but you know what? I think he's proven his worth to the team by now. Shee'Na should have no problem letting him join the alliance."_

"You think we've got another Reward Challenge tomorrow, or would they dump us straight into Immunity?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm going to say that we've got another Reward Challenge." Reginald replied. "I honestly think that we're not going to have a lot of Immunity Challenges without Reward Challenges first."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." Marty added. "We'll have Shee'Na back by then, so at least we'll be a full tribe again."

"Or as full as possible while down two people." Jonathan sighed.

Nightfall eventually came around and everyone on both teams was asleep, preparing themselves for the following day and potential challenge.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 14)**

"_If my calculations are correct, we'll have another challenge today. My bet is another Reward Challenge." Elias shrugged casually. "We haven't been very lucky with the Reward Chalenges thus far, but we're confident that if we pull it together, we can manage to get the better of the other tribe and pull out ahead. Maybe we'll be able to win something that will make our tribe a little better off."_

Elias left the shelter and looked around the campsite. Not a lot of people were up yet, but D'looa was talking with Shee'Na off to the side. Deciding to see what was up, Elias walked over.

"You two are up pretty early." He noted casually.

"We wouldn't know. It's impossible to tell time." D'looa replied. "Everyone else could just have slept in for all we know."

"Can't argue with logic like that." Elias shrugged nonchalantly.

"We were just wondering what type of challenge we would have today." D'looa pointed out.

"My bet is another Reward." The actor replied.

"What makes you say that?" Shee'Na asked suspiciously.

"Call it a gut instinct." Elias replied with a smirk.

"…_Okay. Now I'M starting to get bad vibes from Elias. I think he's starting to act a little smug, as if he's planning something." D'looa pointed out. "If I were allowed to use my Jedi Mind Trick, I would use it on him and make him spill everything he knows. Unfortunately, since the producers told me that it would give me an unfair advantage, I'm restricted from using any of my force abilities."_

"Well, I'm definitely looking forward to returning to my own tribe." Shee'Na said. "I'm curious to see whom got voted off."

"I thought you said that your friend was a target." D'looa pointed out.

"Anything can happen. Maybe that rabbit got voted off."

Shortly after that, everyone else had gotten up. Bonnie went over to the treemail box and came back with a letter.

"Looks like we've got some treemail." Elias said. "What's it say, Bonnie?"

"'Follow the provided instructions to the Reward Challenge. Is your team well-coordinated'?" Bonnie read.

Crane sighed and slapped himself on the forehead. "Great. With that hothead on our team for something like that, we're sure to lose." He lamented.

"We're two people up, Crane."Mel reminded. "We can sit two people out."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." The rudie nodded.

"Why are you twerps looking at me?!" Bonnie demanded. She was ignored.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 14)**

Jonathan emerged from the shelter to the sound of splashing. Curiosity getting the better of him, Jonathan walked over to the beach and his eyes widened when he saw Sandy swimming in the water.

"Sandy, what are you doing out there?" Jonathan called out as he walked up to the beach.

"Good morning, Jonathan! Come on in! The water's great!" Sandy replied.

Jonathan was about to make a reply when he glanced to his left. His eyes snapped open when he saw Sandy's clothes sitting on a rock. Jonathan looked back and forth between Sandy and her clothes.

"Sandy, PLEASE tell me you're wearing a bathing suit!" Jonathan pleaded.

"What, Jonathan?" Sandy asked as she stood up and faced Jonathan. "I can't hear you!"

Unfortunately, Jonathan didn't reply. A few short seconds after Sandy had showed him her exposed chest, blood sprayed from Jonathan's nose as he collapsed onto his back.

"_Ugh. Even with my vision being a little fuzzy without my glasses, I was STILL able to see Sandy clear enough." Jonathan moaned as he plugged his nose to stop the flow of blood. "I can't freaking believe that actually happened. Something like that was actually what I was LEAST expecting to happen. Oy, it's going to take a long time to get this blood to stop flowing…"_

By the time everyone else had woken up, they saw Sandy fishing, fully-clothed, and Jonathan still passed out.

"Uh…Why is Jonathan laying in the sand in a pool of blood coming from his nose?" Zoe asked.

"I guess he couldn't handle what he saw." Sandy shrugged with a grin.

Reginald, on the other hand, couldn't help but chuckle mischievously as he looked at Marty. "Why don't you go and check or treemail. I think we should have it by now." He suggested.

Marty shrugged. "Okay. Might as well." He said as he turned and walked towards the treemail box.

"…_Yeah. Even though I didn't see it, I kinda had a feeling what had happened, especially after seeing Sandy's hair wet." Marty admitted with a smirk. "Looks like Jonathan has managed to see the unseeable. All I can say is that I'm glad it didn't happen to me. With a nose the size of mine, a nosebleed could be fatal."_

"Liked what you saw, Jonathan?" Reginald teased as he helped Jonathan to his feet.

Jonathan held a hand over his nose. "Shut up, man." He replied. "Crap. It's still bleeding…"

"You'd better get it under control by the time we get the challenge." Reginald pointed out. "We all need to be in good condition to beat the other team with two less people than they do."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Jonathan insisted. "I didn't MEAN to look!"

"Hey! We've got another treemail!" Marty said as he rushed over.

"What's this one say?" Sandy asked eagerly.

"It's wondering how coordinated we are." The koopa explained.

"Oh, goody! We're coordinated! We can pound the other team into the unsuspecting dirt!" Sandy cheered.

"Glad to see you're still as energetic as ever." Reginald sighed. "But at least you don't give off a stench when you do."

"Hey!" Zoe shouted.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The setting was another clearing somewhere in the jungle. The members of the Nago Tribe stood on their mat as Shee'Na stood on the Temlin mat alone.

"Let's bring in the Temlin Tribe so we can get this game underway." SSBFreak said.

Shee'Na turned around and sighed in relief when she saw that Sandy was still in the crowd.

"Nikko was vted off at the last Tribal Council." The host explained.

"I don't know how you did it, but good work." Shee'Na told Sandy.

"Welcome to your fifth Reward Challenge, everyone. This is going to be a big game of fetch, but with an added twist. Each tribe will be divided into three teams of two, with one carrying the other on his or her back. The one doing the carrying will also be blindfolded as the one being carried will be shouting directions." SSBFreak explained. "There are six balls hidden around the area, three for each team. The object is to have the contestant being carried direct the blindfolded carrier to one of the balls, pick it up and bring it back to the starting point, where he or she will drop it into a bowl. After that happens, the next duo can head out and try to collect a ball. The first team to collect three balls is the winner." He smirked as he continued. "The Reward you will be playing for? A day-long trip to a spa, where you can relax and get refreshed for the next day."

Hearing this, nearly everyone was determined to win, getting serious looks in their eyes.

"Nago, you have two extra members." SSBFreak explained. "Whom will be sitting out?"

"Bonnie and Crane." D'looa explained.

"What?!" Bonnie demanded.

"Okay, everyone split into pairs and determine whom will be doing the carrying." SSBFreak explained.

**(Later…)**

The teams were decided. For Nago, Barney would be carrying Elias, Kida would be carrying D'looa and Mel would be carrying the ultra-light Angie. For Temlin, Shee'Na would be carrying Reginald, Sandy would carry Marty and Jonathan would carry Zoe.

"For Reward, get ready…" SSBFreak said. "Go!!"

Shee'Na was running first for Temlin, and Mel was running first for Nago. Following the instructions from Reginald and Angie, the two contestants stumbled around the field in search of the coloured orbs scattered around.

"Remember that we're looking for our team colour, Angie!" Mel said. "Where am I going?"

Angie scanned around and spotted a red orb. "It's over there, Mel! Turn left!" She directed. "But you could speed up, you know. You're going way too slow."

"No one can run as fast as you, Angie. And we all know you can't carry any of us." Mel replied.

"Touche."

"Hang a right, Shee'Na. I see a green orb." Reginald instructed as the Klingon quickly turned and continued running blindly.

"Okay. Just tell me where to go and I'll grab it!" Shee'Na said.

"It would help if you'd stop running so fast!" Reginald said. "I'd be able to keep track of it easier!"

"We need to finish this fast!" Shee'Na replied. "We can't let them get ahead! Just tell me where to go!"

"Go faster, you little rat!" Bonnie shouted at Mel. "I think a snail just passed you!"

Mel tried to ignore Bonnie and continued to follow Angie's instructions towards the first red ball. "Where am I going, Angie?"

"The first ball is just ahead a little bit and will be on your left side." Angie instructed. "Keep going straight and I'll tell you when to bend over and grab it."

"Stop going so fast, Shee'Na!" Reginald shouted in panic as Shee'Na raced along the ground.

"Where is the orb, rabbit?!" Shee'Na asked.

Reginald tried to keep his eyes on the ball and pointed it out. "Turn right just a hair! After that, it's just straight ahead!" He directed.

Shee'Na did as she was told and turned, running straight towards the ball. Reginald waited until the right moment before continuing. "Okay! It's on your right!" He said.

Shee'Na came to a halt and bent over, blindly feeling around for a few seconds before picking a ball off the ground. "Okay. Now what?" She asked.

"We take it back to the start and put the ball in the bowl so Sandy and Marty can start." Reginald said. "Okay. Follow my lead."

"Come on, Mel! The other team has the ball already!" Crane called out. "You've almost got it!"

"You're right over the ball, Mel!" Angie said. "It's just on your left side!"

Mel quickly scooped up the ball and turned around, making her way back to the start so the next pair could head out. Following Angie's instructions, Mel was able to get back to the start, but by then, Sandy had already taken off with Marty flailing wildly on her back.

Mel shoved the red ball into the Nago Tribe's bowl. "Okay! We're done! Barney, start moving!" She ordered.

"Elias, keep an eye open for the closest red ball you can see!" Barney instructed.

The actor scanned the playing field for a few seconds. "Okay. I see one. Keep going straight and turn when I tell you to." He said.

"Left! Turn left!" Marty managed out as Sandy continued to run forward blindly at a speed even greater than Shee'Na. "Sandy, you're running straight towards a tree!"

"Where's the orb?" Sandy asked.

"Keep going straight, then turn right when I tell you to!" Marty said.

Elias was having a much easier time controlling his partner than Marty was, but that may have been because Barney wasn't flying all over the playing field. "You're getting close, Barney. Turn left just an inch and it'll be straight ahead of you."

"Got it. Just keep me posted and hopefully we'll be able to get it before the others." Barney nodded.

Elias looked at Sandy continuing to run around wildly with a screaming Marty on her back. "I don't think that's going to be much of a problem." He noted.

"Sandy, stop running! I can't keep track of the ball when you're running around like this!" Marty shouted.

Sandy came to a screeching halt, nearly throwing the koopa off her back. "Okay. I stopped. Now what?" She asked.

Marty quickly looked around and spotted the green orb. "Over there! Turn left a bit and run straight ahead!" He directed.

Sandy did as she was told and raced in the direction the orb was supposedly in. She ran blindly for a few seconds before Marty spoke again. "It's on your right side!" He directed. "Pick it up!"

The crazed woman quickly bent over while running and scooped up the ball as she ran past. Sandy quickly turned around and raced forward, hopefully towards the start again.

Elias saw this. "Barney, they've got the ball!" He said. "Pick up the pace!"

"Where is it?" Barney asked.

"Take a few steps forward! The orb is just to your left a bit!"

Barney was able to pick up the orb, but by the time he did, Sandy had already made it back to the start.

"Jonathan, go! We've just got one more ball to find!" Marty shouted.

"On it!" Jonathan nodded as he took off, Zoe giving him directions.

Barney made it back as Jonathan was running off and Bonnie didn't look too pleased. "We were behind already! Thanks to you, we're doing even worse!" She shouted.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Crane muttered to himself.

"I see the ball, Jonathan!" Zoe pointed out. "Turn right and go straight!"

Jonathan turned right and continued moving. "Did I turn too far?" He asked.

"Not far enough, actually. Just a little more." Zoe said.

"Kida, keep going straight. The orb's off to the side, but I'll tell you to trun when we get close enough." D'looa instructed.

"Sounds like a plan, dude." Kida grinned. "Just say the word."

The two duos continued along the playing field at a slower pace than the others. Jonathan and Kida weren't racing, as they knew that they could easily overshoot the ball if they weren't careful. On the other hand, if they didn't go semi-fast, they knew that the other team could potentially win.

"Hurry up, you freaks!" Bonnie shouted. "The other team's already way ahead of us!"

Everyone else on the Nago Tribe glared at Bonnie. Even Elias gave her a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow.

"Where's the ball, Zoe?" Jonathan asked.

"Turn left, but only a little bit." The skunk girl replied.

"Kida, turn right slightly. After that, it's just straight ahead." D'looa instructed.

"No problem, man." Kida cheerily replied.

Unfortunately, Jonathan and Zoe were already too far ahead. Jonathan managed to scoop up his ball before Kida reached hers and started making his way back.

"Keep going, Jonathan! We're almost there!" Zoe said.

Jonathan grinned silently as he reached the start and placed the third green ball into the Temlin bowl.

"Jonathan and Zoe have won! Temlin wins Reward!" SSBFreak declared.

The Temlin Tribe cheered as Jonathan ripped the blindfold off his eyes and let Zoe down. The Nago Tribe looked extremely disappointed/furious.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Reward again, Temlin. You all get to spend the rest of the day at the spa." SSBFreak said as the Temlin Tribe cheered in response. He turned towards the losing team. "Nago, you may have lost most of the Reward Challenges, but you've won most of the Immunity Challenges so far. Maybe you'll be able to do it again."

SSBFreak stepped back and placed his hands behind his back. "Nago, you can head back to camp. Temlin, you can all board the helicopter, which will then take you to the spa." He said. "See you all tomorrow."

**(Temlin Tribe, Spa)**

A helicopter landed just outside a large building somewhere on the island and the six members of the Temlin Tribe left it, walking towards the building.

"Oh, wow! This place is big!" Zoe cheered. "This is gonna be sweet!"

"We get to spend the day here?" Marty asked.

"We're here until we get our next challenge." Reginald replied with a smirk. "I'd say that's about a day."

"_Zoe and I won us the Reward, which turned out to be a day at a spa. You know, I think I can safely say that none of us have ever been to one, so it was such a great treat to give us a break from the game." Jonathan explained. "At least we'd be able to relax enough to be ready for the challenge tomorrow, because we're still going to need all the luck we can get."_

Soon, the tribe had settled in and was relaxing. Reginald and Jonathan were currently reclining on some comfortable chairs with drinks while everyone else was relaxing in a hot tub.

"This is amazing." Marty sighed happily. "I feel so relaxed."

"But we need to remember to plan to beat the other team tomorrow at the challenge." Reginald pointed out.

"Aw, give the strategy a break, spoilsport." Sandy said. "Enjoy yourself and relax."

"Yeah. We're only here for a day, so we may as well enjoy it while we can." Shee'Na added.

"_I know I should have been relaxing at the spa, but I found it extremely hard to do. The only things I could think of were how we were going to beat the Nago Tribe at the Immunity Challenge tomorrow." Reginald said. "It's just in my nature to always be planning, because that's pretty much all I did back when I was working with the rest of those moronic Rabbids."_

"Man. I can just imagine how angry the other team is right now." Zoe laughed. "They must be extremely frustrated that they lost."

Jonathan chuckled. "Yeah. But it was definitely close. If Shee'Na and Sandy hadn't run when they were searching, we may have lost." He reminded.

"That reminds me. I'm never letting you give me a piggyback ride again, Sandy." Marty pointed out.

"Were you that scared?" Sandy asked innocently.

"I've seen Bullet Bills move slower than you." The koopa replied.

"Gee, thanks!"

**(Nago Tribe)**

Zoe was definitely right in saying that the Nago Tribe was mad that they had lost the challenge. One member in particular was clearly frustrated.

"What is WRONG with you lot?! We could have won that challenge!" Bonnie roared in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how much good some relaxation could have done for us?!"

"You could DEFINITELY benefit from relaxation." Crane rolled his eyes. "Maybe two weeks worth of it."

Bonnie once again ignored the rudie and focused her attention on Mel. "You went way too slow, you twerp! You know that the cat is the fastest! Why didn't you let her carry YOU?!" She demanded.

"Are you kidding?! She wouldn't be able to carry me!" Mel insisted.

"You cost us the win again, you worthless little rat! I can't wait until we lose Immunity so I can vote your pathetic hide off the-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Barney shouted, stepping in between Bonnie and Mel. "Look, you hothead! You've been nothing but rude to her since we started! I think it's about time someone put you in your place!"

"How can you stand up for her?! She's completely useless to us!" Bonnie accused.

"YOU'RE the useless one, you arrogant little tramp!" Barney roared. "You've been complaining about everything the entire game and try to pin the blame on everyone else!"

"How can you say that?! I'm a stronger player!"

"Like heck you are!! In case you're wondering, EVERYONE here would keep Mel over you!" Barney shouted. "The only reason you're still here in the first place is because the other tribe kidnapped you and we were forced to vote off Jake!"

"You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that!"

"Let me assure you, you are NOTHING compared to Lilly Pendragon!" Barney shouted. "Talking like this to you is no problem because she's ten times worse than you could ever hope to be!"

"I have power here, you know!!" Bonnie threatened. "I can convice people to vote for you, you know!"

Barney gave a confident smirk. "I'd like to see you try. In fact, why don't you run along and try to think up ways to get them to keep you over anyone ELSE if we lose?"

Bonnie started seething, turned and stamped away, leaving Barney triumphant and everyone else standing in stunned silence.

_Kida started laughing. "Dude, that was freaking awesome!! I didn't think the big dude had it in him to yell at Bonnie like that!" She admitted. "But he unloaded everything on her and didn't pull any punches! Man, I think everyone would agree with me in saying that their little argument was the highlight of the entire day!"_

_Elias sat in silence, rubbing his forehead. "…Okay, you can NOT say that I didn't try. I told Bonnie on day TWO to keep her head low. What does she do twelve days later? She gets into an argument with the guy that everyone else LIKES!!" He said, getting more and more frustrated. "How does she expect to even make the merge now, let alone win?!"_

**(Temlin Tribe, Spa)**

Needless to say, the Temlin Tribe enjoyed the provided supper. After living on fruit and fish for the previous thirteen days, it was good to have a full meal for once.

"Oy. I'm stuffed." A satisfied Marty said, patting his stomach. "I can't eat any more.

Sandy looked at Marty's plate, which still had a few things on it. "So you're not going to finish that?" She asked.

As Sandy continued to eat, Shee'Na looked at her friend, clearly confused about something.

"_I'm just confused as to how Sandy was able to survive Tribal Council when it was everyone else against her." Shee'Na scratched her head. "By most figures, she should have been eliminated. The only thing I can think of is that the swing votes joined her, but that would just tie the vote if the koopa voted with the rabbit and elf."_

After dinner, Shee'Na had taken Sandy aside and away from everyone else. "Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Sure, Shee'Na. Go ahead." Sandy replied.

"How did you survive Tribal Council?"

"Oh, that's easy! Marty and the two swing votes voted with me!" Sandy replied with a chuckle.

"The…The koopa voted with you? How did you get his vote?"

"Marty's been trying to get on your good side for a while now, Shee'Na." Sandy grinned. "He was the first one to join me."

"Seriously?"

"I know you're a Klingon and everything, Shee'Na, but I think you've been a little hard on him." The crazy woman shrugged. "He seems like he means it by joining us."

Shee'Na paused, then nodded. "Okay. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now." She sighed. "But remember that if he turns on us, he gets eliminated."

"Already planning on it." Sandy replied, still grinning. "Man. It's getting kinda late. You think we should turn in?"

"It'll be good to have a relaxing sleep for once." Shee'Na nodded.

Although the Temlin Tribe got better sleep, both teams were soon asleep and waiting for the next day to start, knowing what lay ahead.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 15)**

Kida quickly found the day to be a little cooler as she left the shelter and shivered as she made her way over to the fire pit. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts of making a fire that she almost didn't notice Crane and Mel talking. Deciding to stay back for a bit and listen in, Kida waited to see what the kids were talking about.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me, Crane. I think I may be able to stand up for myself now." Mel said with a smile.

Crane, for once, gave a nervous chuckle. "Hey, it's nothing. If it'll help you stand up against verbal abuse, I'm cool with it." He admitted.

"I know you rudies have attitude, but you're real sweet." The technician replied.

Quickly regaining his composure, Crane put on the usual emotionless look. "Meh. Whatever." He shrugged. "I don't consider myself 'sweet', you know."

Kida watched as Mel placed her hand on Crane's and smirked.

_Kida cheered wildly, nearly giving the cameraman hearing loss. "Oh, yeah! I did it! I managed to get a spark lit up between Crane and Mel! Awesome, dude!" She cheered. "And D'looa thought I wouldn't be able to do it! Man, did I ever prove her wrong! W00t!" Kida froze when she realized what she had just said. "Uh…Did I just say 'W00t'?"_

After everyone was up, D'looa had noticed Kida was looking especially cheerful. "Uh…What's up, Kida?" The Twi'lek asked.

"Dude, I saw Crane and Mel holding hands earlier! I think they may get together!" Kida replied.

"…You're actually serious, aren't you?" A surprised D'looa said after a few seconds of silence.

"Man, would I kid about that?" Kida quizzed.

"Hmph. Good. Those freaks deserve each other." Bonnie muttered as she passed by the two aliens.

"_Doesn't that woman ever shut up?! Man…Well, on the topic of Crane and Mel, I think them getting together would be good for the both of them. I'm just surprised that Kida's plan actually WORKED." D'looa said. "Looks like I underestimated Kida. She seems to have a better handle on things than I originally thought."_

"Hey! We've got treemail!" Mel said as she and Crane came over with a letter.

"Great. That would be the Immunity Challenge." Elias nodded as he walked over. "What's it say?"

"It's asking if we have any strong people." Crane replied.

The colour drained from Barney's face. "This is going to lead to another battle between me and that scary Klingon woman, isn't it?" He asked.

"Most likely." Elias nodded.

Barney whimpered.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 15)**

Reginald yawned and got out of bed. Scratching himself behind the ear, the rabbit wandered sleeplessly towards the hot tub, showing no signs of slowing down. Reginald's foot hovered over the air above the hot tub, but it did little to stop him.

"_I had gotten so used to the camp that I thought we were still there, and I always throw some water from the beach on my face to wake myself up." Reginald explained, sighing. "The problem with it here is that the hot tub is closer to where we slept than the beach was."_

"**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"**

Now fully-awake, Reginald shot his head above the surface of the water in the hot tub and let out a scream. When he was fully aware of his surroundings, he suddenly saw the rest of the tribe laughing at his misfortune.

"You are all so immature! That isn't funny!" Reginald said as he climbed out of the hot tub, where Jonathan and Zoe were currently sitting.

"Sorry, man. But it just looked so funny to see that happen." Jonathan insisted nervously.

"What the blazes were you thinking when that happened?" An amused Shee'Na asked.

"Yeah. That looked so painful." Sandy nodded before pausing. "Actually, I feel like trying it myself." With that, Sandy cannonballed into the hot tub and shot out of the water just as fast. "Oh, yeah! That hurts!"

Reginald decided to ignore her. "Any treemail yet?" He asked. "We leave when we get it."

"Not yet. We expect it to come soon, though." Zoe shrugged.

A while later, Marty had gone out to a treemail box just outside the spa alone. The koopa looked around for it for a bit, but eventually spotted it and went over. Opening the box, he saw a letter inside.

"There it is." Marty nodded as he took the treemail and went back inside to the rest of the tribe. He showed them all the letter. "Here's the treemail, guys." He said.

"What's it say?" Shee'Na asked.

"'Prepare for another Immunity Challenge. Is there any strong people left on your team'?" Marty read.

"Another physical challenge." Shee'Na nodded with a sly grin. "Good. A rematch with the strongman that I've been waiting for."

"Man. I can't believe we have to leave so soon after arriving." Zoe sighed as she looked around the spa. "It was so relaxing here."

"Hey, we have to go back sometime." Jonathan shrugged.

The tribe soon left the spa and boarded the helicopter again. Once they were all on board, the helicopter took off, starting the journey towards the Immunity Challenge.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The Nago Tribe stood on their mat waiting impatiently for the Temlin Tribe to show up. The sound of a helicopter landing nearby alerted everyone and they watched as the six members of the Temlin Tribe emerged from the jungle, walking over to stand on their mat.

"I take it you enjoyed your little trip, Temlin?" SSBFreak asked. He received several nods. "Good, because it's time to get back to business and start the next Immunity Challenge."

Everyone noticed that there were twelve stations gathered together behind SSBFreak, each consisting of two pull-ropes connected to what looked like weights.

"Here's how it's going to work. Both teams will be spread out, one person at each of these stations. Everyone will be holding the provided weights, starting at fifty pounds, in a big endurance test. As time passes, weights will be added to increase the load and make it more difficult to hold them up. The last person remaining holding any weights wins Immunity for their tribe." SSBFreak explained before turning to one of the tribe. "Nago, you're still two people up. Whom will you be sitting out?"

Mel and Angie looked at each other nervously, knowing that they were physically the weakest in the tribe. "We'll sit out." Mel said.

SSBFreak nodded. "Okay. If everyone else would get into positions, we'll start the game."

**(Later…)**

The twelve contestants stood at the twelve stations, preparing to lift the weights up and start the test of endurance. Mel and Angie stood off to the side with SSBFreak.

"Okay. For Immunity, get ready…" SSBFreak said. "Go!!"

Everyone lifted the weights off the ground and held them up as high as they could. To Shee'Na and Barney, the weights were nothing, but some others knew that the challenge would get even harder.

Shee'Na looked and saw that a couple of her teammates were already struggling. "Get in the game, you two! We can't have people dropping out so soon!" She ordered.

"Give us a break! We're not bodybuilders like you, Shee'Na!" Zoe insisted. Marty was too busy focusing on the challenge to give a response as well.

Eventually, the minute-mark passed. This meant that it was time to add to the weights. "Let's add another fifteen pounds to everyone's weights." SSBFreak said.

The weights were added, and that proved to be too much for Marty and Zoe, whom promptly let go, sending their weights crashing onto the ground.

"Marty and Zoe are out!" SSBFreak said.

A few seconds later and Crane let go as well. Cursing himself, Crane left the field after Zoe and Marty.

"Crane is out as well!"

"My strength is in my legs. Not my arms." Crane shook his head.

"Keep it up, guys! We're already ahead!" D'looa noted.

The remaining nine contestants were able to endure to the next round of weights getting added. Everyone tried to keep in the game as the weights were added, and they all managed to hold on.

Elias looked and saw that Bonnie was starting to struggle. "Endure it, Bonnie! We need the numbers!" He said.

"Excuse me for not being as strong as you!" Bonnie seethed just before losing her grip and letting her weights crash into the ground. "Now look at what you made me do!!"

"Ack!" Sandy shouted as her weights hit the ground. "Drat! I lost my grip!"

"Bonnie and Sandy are out!"

Unfotunately, D'looa couldn't hold on any longer and let her weights drop. "Man. If I could have used my force powers, I would have been twice as strong as that…" She lamented.

"D'looa is out!" SSBFreak said. "That leaves us with Barney, Kida and Elias for Nago and Reginald, Shee'Na and Jonathan for Temlin!"

The next round of weights was added and, to the amazement of everyone else, everyone was still able to endure. However, the instant the next round of weights were added, Kida let go of her weights, getting herself eliminated.

"Aw, man. That's weak, bro…" Kida sighed as she left the field.

"Kida is out!"

Reginald, whom everyone had bet would be one of the first eliminated, was starting to turn red. Gritting his teeth, Reginald knew that he was close to the end of his strength and wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

"**!!!"** Reginald screamed as he dropped the weights, collapsing to the ground.

"Reginald is out!"

The remaining four contestants managed to hold onto their weights until the next round were added. Jonathan and Elias managed to hold on for thirty seconds more before letting go at almost the same time.

"Jonathan and Elias are both out! It's come down to Shee'Na vs. Barney!"

The strongman and Klingon eyed each other, the strain from holding up weights starting to get to each of them. As expected, the two managed to hold out long enough for the next round to be added.

"Come on, Shee'Na! Beat the ever-loving snot out of that guy!" Sandy cheered.

"You beat her before, bro! You can do it again!" Kida told Barney.

"He's almost done, Shee'Na! You can do it!" Zoe shouted.

"Just a little more, Barney! She's tiring out!" Mel cheered.

As the next round of weights was added, Barney and Shee'Na were starting to tire out. The current weight amount had accumulated to 250 pounds each and even the two strong competitors were starting to wear down. Even still, they both knew that victory was depending on them to outlast the other, and that was something they didn't want to just throw away.

Everyone watched the two intently, wondering which of the two would win. Suddenly hearing the sound of weights hitting the ground, everyone looked and saw whom had dropped out.

Barney was clutching his knees, panting, as Shee'Na was still holding her weights high above the ground.

"Barney is out! Shee'Na wins!" SSBFreak said. "Temlin wins Immunity!"

The Temlin Tribe cheered as Shee'Na dropped her weights and roared in victory.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning your second Immunity Challenge, Temlin. You're all safe for tonight." SSBFreak said as he turned to the losing tribe. "Nago, however, will be voting someone off at Tribal Council. This will still give you a one-person advantage over Temlin, but your lead will still be decreasing." He turned to the Temlin Tribe again. "Temlin, who do you want to kidnap and save from elimination tonight? Remember that you can't kidnap the same person twice, so don't even consider Bonnie."

The Temlin Tribe looked at each other, as if unsure as to what to do. They went into a huddle, and even when they broke out of it they still looked a little unsure.

"Uh…Angie?" Jonathan said.

Angie shrugged as she walked over to the mat and joined the Temlin Tribe.

"Angie is safe tonight and will rejoin her tribe at the next challenge." SSBFreak explained. "Nago, I'll see you guys at Tribal Council tonight. You can all head back to camp."

**(Nago Tribe)**

"_Okay. So we lost. No big deal. I mean, it should be obvious as to who's going home anyway. I'm actually glad that we lost this time." D'looa admitted. "We've had a severe annoyance on our team, and I think it's about time we got rid of her. She's been dead weight to us since the start, anyway."_

"You seem surprisingly happy for someone that just lost Immunity, D'looa." Crane noted.

"You kidding? We can finally get rid of Bonnie." D'looa replied. "I can't see any way we can lose tonight."

"Yeah. She's long overstayed her welcome." Crane admitted. "I'm confused as to why Temlin kidnapped Angie, though."

"Yeah. They seemed unsure as to what to do…"

The two suddenly saw Bonnie come walking over. D'looa and Crane looked at each other and decided to humour her for now.

"Okay. I think we all agree that the worthless rat needs to go, right?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh, don't you worry. We're definitely voting off the worthless one tonight." D'looa nodded.

"Good to hear that you've got your head on straight for once." Bonnie said as she walked off to another group of people.

"_Okay, I think that I can get a few people to vote off that rat tonight. In my opinion, the sooner we get rid of her, the better." Bonnie noted. "I know that I've got Elias' vote, so that just leaves me to get two more votes to get the majority over her. No sweat. I've got this in the bag and that stupid technician is going home."_

Kida suddenly noticed that Elias was sitting at the fire pit, in deep thought. "What's up, bro?" She asked.

"I'm just curious as to why the other tribe kidnapped Angie. She wasn't even in any real danger." Elias said. "In fact, I think I know who's getting eliminated and it certainly wasn't Angie."

"They already kidnapped Bonnie, bro. My guess is they knew we were gonna vote for her and just figured that everyone else was safe." Kida shrugged. "Maybe they thought taking anyone wouldn't really have any impact on the vote."

"You make a good point." Elias nodded in thought.

**(Tribal Council)**

Seven contestants came wandering into Tribal Council with lit torches. Finding their seats, the Nago Tribe sat down and awaited SSBFreak's opening questions.

"Welcome to your second Tribal Council, Nago Tribe. In a moment, you will all vote for the person you think should be kicked out of the game." SSBFreak explained. "…Elias, do you think you will still be able to keep the lead you have on the other tribe after tonight?"

"I certainly hope so. The more of us make the merge, the better chance one of us will actually win." Elias nodded. "If we can pull together and win the next challenges, we should have a smooth sailing straight through to the merge."

"Barney, you cost your team the win. Do you think you're in danger?" SSBFreak asked.

"No way. These guys need my strength." Barney shook his head. "The only reason I lost the Immunity Challenge in the first place is because there's a super-strong Klingon on the other team. No one else except me can even come close to matching her in strength."

"Kida, last time the votes were pretty spread out. Will tonight's vote be any different?" SSBFreak asked.

"Totally, man. We all know who we need to get rid of and I don't think anyone wants to pass up the opportunity." Kida nodded. "In fact, I totally think that we'll perform beter and stuff without her around."

Bonnie smirked. SSBFreak noticed this. "Bonnie, who's going home?" He asked.

"Mel." Bonnie replied confidentally.

"What makes you say that?"

"She's been useless to us the entire time she's been on the team. I honestly can't think of one thing she actually did that's beneficial to us." Bonnie accused simply. "I asked around to make sure that everyone was voting with me and they said agreed, saying that they'd vote for the most useless person we've got."

"Hasn't it occurred to you that YOU'RE the one they were talking about?" Mel asked, rolling her eyes.

"EXCUSE me?! Why would they keep you over me?!" Bonnie asked. "I'm a lot more useful than you could ever be, you runt!"

"You keep telling yourself that, Bonnie." Mel shrugged. "I'm sure that your friends would be ashamed of you…Or rather, they would be if you actually HAD friends."

"Since when did you grow a backbone, you twerp?!" Bonnie roared.

"Okay, settle down." SSBFreak said. Bonnie growled and folded her arms. "It's time to vote. Elias, you're up."

Elias stood up and left the hut, following the path to the voting box. Shaking his head, he wrote down a name and placed it into the urn.

Barney approached the table and voted. "Serves you right." He said as he placed his vote into the jar.

Mel wrote a name down and showed it to the camera. "I'm just glad I was able to stand up to you before you left." She smirked, having voted for Bonnie.

Crane gave a triumphant smirk as he wrote a name down and placed it into the voting urn.

Bonnie quickly wrote a name down and showed it to the camera. "Time to get rid of you for good, you rat." She said, having voted for Mel.

Kida cheerfully wrote a name down and placed the ballot into the urn, leaving the table just as quick as she came.

D'looa smirked as she showed the camera her vote. "Seriously. Go away." She said, having voted for Bonnie.

Once all seven castaways had voted, SSBFreak fetched the voting urn and came back with it. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes…"

"First vote; Bonnie." Bonnie glared at Mel, but remained silent.

"Bonnie." Bonnie glared at Crane, whom was sitting beside Mel. The rudie smirked and waved at her.

"Mel. Two votes for Bonnie and one for Mel." Mel glanced at Bonnie, whom was smirking triumphantly.

"…Bonnie." This caught Bonnie's attention. She froze in shock.

"Bonnie." The boxer's eyes snapped open, wondering what was happening.

"Bonnie." _**"WHAT?!"**_

"Final vote and fifth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Bonnie. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

"You're all going to pay for this. I swear it." Bonnie growled as she grabbed her torch and stormed over to the host, whom was holding a snuffer in his hands.

"Bonnie, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Bonnie's torch. "It's time for you to go."

Bonnie stalked out of Tribal Council without a word, but extended her middle finger behind her back, directing it at everyone in the hut.

Once Bonnie was gone, SSBFreak looked at the remaining six members of Nago. "It's taken fifteen days, but we finally got the first unanimous vote of the season. Bonnie didn't see that coming, but in all honesty, I can't imagine how she couldn't have." He shrugged. "You may not have a two-person lead over Temlin anymore, but you guys are still ahead. Only time will tell if you'll be able to keep it. You can all head back to camp."

The six gathered up their torches and left Tribal Council, surprisingly not looking very upset. Even Elias looked indifferent at losing his early (yet doomed from the start) alliance member. However, during the walk out, Mel clasped Crane's hand and gave him a happy smile. This surprised the rudie, but he didn't seem to mind it very much.

"_Am I shocked? Duh! They just eliminated one of their strongest players just because I hate weak people! Tell me this: Is it WRONG to hate people weaker than you?!" Bonnie asked. "Well, whatever. My tribe was stupid anyway. It's their loss that they kept the person responsible for us losing challenges and got rid of me. Maybe if I had ended up on the other tribe, I would have done a lot better…"_

**Voting History:**

**Bonnie – Mel, Crane, Barney, Kida, D'looa and Elias**

**Mel – Bonnie**

_Author's Notes: Bonnie was someone whom would be universally hated by everyone else on the island, but I needed her to stick around a little bit because she was actually responsible for furthering the stories of some of the other cast members. Mel, Crane, Elias and Barney all got a little more insight thanks to Bonnie._


	7. Days 16 to 17

**(Nago Tribe)**

No one was upset as they returned to camp after Tribal Council. The happiest of the bunch was by far Mel, whom seemed relieved as if a huge ordeal had finally ended. She sighed happily as she followed the rest of the team into camp.

"_We got rid of Bonnie. It took fifteen long days or verbal abuse, but I finally had the last laugh and Bonnie was voted off. I just feel so elated right now." Mel said. "Bonnie was definitely holding us back and I think that this will actually help us perform better in challenges. If anything, it'll be a lot more pleasant at camp from now on."_

"Victory is ours, man!" Kida cheered, wrapping an arm around D'looa's shoulder. "We totally triumphed over the evil woman and stuff!"

D'looa gave a chuckle. "Yeah, Kida. We sure did." She nodded. "And it was a unanimous vote!"

"You see the look on her face?" Crane asked with a smirk. "She really wasn't expecting to get voted off six to one."

"I'm surprised that you voted for her, Elias." Barney noted, looking at the actor. "I thought you were in an alliance with her."

"I was simply trying to tell her to keep her head low, but as time passed by, I realized that it would be impossible for her." Elias shrugged. "I figured it would be best if I dumped her like the rest of you did."

Most of the others bought Elias' story, but Barney made an unamused face behind Elias' back.

"_The reason I voted for Bonnie was because I knew that everyone else was going to. If I voted for Mel, everyone else would target me next for associating with Bonnie." Elias noted. "By voting for Bonnie, I've blended in a little better. Now I should be able to lay low for a while and keep attention off of me."_

"_I know the real reason Elias was trying to keep Bonnie around. I just didn't want to say anything at the moment. If I spoke up, Elias may have been able to turn things around on me." Barney admitted. "I didn't want to risk losing my position in the game over some knowledge. But let it be on record that I'll still be keeping a close watch over Elias just in case he's got something sneaky planned for everyone."_

"Well, it's getting kinda late." D'looa said. "How about we turn in and just be glad that we all survived another Tribal Council?"

"Hopefully, we won't be going back until the merge." Mel piped up. "With Bonnie gone, maybe we'll do even better."

The others agreed and decided to head to bed for the night, feeling a lot better about the day ahead.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 16)**

Jonathan scratched his head as he stared into the shelter, where Angie was still asleep. The entire Temlin Tribe had woken up long ago, but the yellow cat was still sound asleep. Jonathan noticed Shee'Na walking by and went over to her.

"How is that cat still asleep?" Jonathan asked the Klingon. "Was she like that at the Nago Tribe?"

"Pretty much. She tends to act lazy around the camp, but put all of her effort into the challenges so they'll keep her around." Shee'Na replied.

"Man. That's actually a pretty good strategy to get far in the game." Jonathan noted.

"I'm inclined to agree with you, but I have to admit that if she was on my team, I would have voted her off as soon as I could because of her laziness." Shee'Na shook her head.

"_The reason we kidnapped Angie was because we simply didn't have any idea on whom would be good to take." Shee'Na said. "It seemed pretty obvious to all of us that Nago was going to vote off Bonnie, and we couldn't kidnap her again. We just decided to kidnap a random member of the other team."_

"You think we made the right choice in kidnapping her?" Jonathan asked.

"Not like we had much of a choice to begin with." The Klingon replied. "We kidnapped her by random choice."

Meanwhile, Reginald sat aside, in deep thought, watching Zoe and Marty fishing.

"How am I going to do this? Unless I can sway Jonathan and Zoe, I'll be eliminated at the next Tribal Council." Reginald mused to himself.

"_I've said this before, but I need a plan to stay alive. I started the game in a majority alliance and now I'm forced to go it alone." Reginald lamented. "Still, I've been in worse situations than this. There was this one time where the rest of those moronic Rabbids thought I stole their 'precious' supply of plungers, and I was forced to fight them off armed with nothing but my sharp wit and a dried trout…" The lanky Rabbid trailed off for a few seconds, then held his head. "I can't believe it. I'm turning into Sandy…"_

"Seems like my only option is to find a way to get the support of the swing votes." Reginald said.

"Who're you talking to, furface?" A cheerful Sandy asked as she walked past him, carrying an armload of fruit. "You starting to lose it?"

"Oh, you're a fine one to talk. Weren't you the one whom was muttering 'The sea monkey has my money' in her sleep last night?" Reginald accused.

**(Nago Tribe; Day 16)**

"Get a good night's sleep, Mel?" D'looa asked as she saw Mel approaching.

"Yes. Finally, I managed to sleep peacefully." Mel nodded. She suddenly noticed Elias off to the side, looking a little flustered. "What's up with Elias?"

"I dunno. He's been like that all morning." D'looa shrugged. "He's not giving us any answers, though."

Crane, whom was sitting with D'looa at the time, smirked as he looked at Elias. "Looks like not being able to talk strategy with someone is already taking its toll on him." He noted.

"_The others would probably hate me for saying this, but seeing Elias looking so stressed was really enjoyable for me. That guy's a snake and it's great seeing him squirm once in a while." Crane said with a sly grin. "Maybe if he gets flustered enough, he'll accidentally blab a plan or two to someone and people will actually agree with me on voting him off."_

Meanwhile, Kida and Barney were talking off to the side, wondering what to do. Kida also noticed Elias' stressed-out state and it worried her.

"What do you suppose is up with him, man?" Kida asked. "This is the first time we've seen him like that and stuff."

"I think he's in dire need of someone to talk strategy to." Barney replied.

"Oh…Wait, how would you know that, man?" The Rilgarian asked.

"Uh…Well, you've seen how much he talked with Bonnie." Barney replied. "There had to have been SOME talking going on."

"Maybe I should go over and see how he's doing."

"I wouldn't do that, Kida." Barney warned, grabbing her arm. "Crane doesn't trust him, and I'm starting to get the same feeling. If you talk to him out of sympathy, he may end up playing you."

Kida looked at Barney, then at Elias, before yanking her arm away from the strongman and walking over to Elias.

"_Dude, I can't help it if I feel sorry for Elias and stuff! I just saw him looking a little frustrated and felt that I needed to talk to him!" Kida insisted. "I don't care that Barney doesn't trust him, man. I think that I can get through to him. Hey, if I could get something to spark between Crane and Mel, I could totally talk to Elias!"_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Eventually, Angie woke up and ended up wandering around camp, admiring the scenery and change from her own tribe's camp.

"_Man. I never knew how good the Temlin Tribe had things. Their camp was WAY better than ours! Somehow, I can't help but feel gyped that I ended up at the other camp." Angie explained. "Well, if I end up making the merge, then I'm definitely going to recommend this tribe as the merged campsite."_

"Oh, man! You guys got a beach too?!" Angie asked in awe as she approached the beach, where Marty was using the fishing rod.

"Didn't Bonnie tell you guys about it when she got back to camp?" The surprised Marty asked back.

"No. She didn't really bring it up at all." Angie shrugged. "I thought that it meant you guys were worse off than we were."

Marty suddenly felt a bite on the line and quickly started to reel the fish in. When he finally saw what he had caught, he sighed. "Man. It's only a little one." He lamented.

Angie's eyes widened when she saw that the fish was still fairly big. "You're calling that one a small one?!" She asked. "What have you guys been catching?!"

"You haven't seen a fish until you've seen Sandy fishing." Marty shook his head.

"It took you long enough to wake up." Jonathan said as he approached Angie. "Are you ALWAYS sleeping in this late?"

"Not always." Angie chuckled nervously. "Lately I've been getting up a little earlier."

"That wasn't the case when I was at the Nago Tribe." Marty noted with a smirk.

Angie pouted. "Thanks a lot."

"_Angie is SO lazy. If she's this lazy over at her tribe, I can't see how they didn't vote her off first. I know that she's got speed, but that wouldn't be enough to save her in the end for me." Jonathan explained. "I can see that her team may consider her an asset because of her speed, but I hope she realizes that she needs more than that if she wants to go far."_

"Man. You guys have fruit, fish AND rice." Angie sighed. "You guys are so lucky."

"Hey, we provide the skills when they're needed." Jonathan shrugged. "It's won us most of the Reward Challenges thus far."

"Well, don't get too cocky. Once we find out what the reward is for the challenge tomorrow, I bet that my team's going to take you all out to win." Angie said with a smirk.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"What's eating you, bro?" Kida asked Elias as she walked over.

"Other than the fact that spending all of this time by myself is starting to drive me crazy, nothing's wrong." Elias replied.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I've always been a thinker, and even though Bonnie had very limited use, she was still someone I could relay strategies to." Elias explained. "Now that she's gone, I have to keep my strategies bottled up and it's really starting to drive me up the wall."

Kida shrugged. "You can tell them to me, man." She said.

"I appreciate the offer, but no. I think I can manage."

"You sure? I'm here if you need me, bro."

"Like I said, I appreciate the offer." Elias said. "I'll keep it in mind."

Kida shrugged again as she turned and walked away. Elias was left in deep thought again, but this time for a completely different reason.

"_Kida is friendly. Very friendly. This could make her both an asset and a jury threat after the merge. However, if I can get her to join me through some of these friendly conversations, then I'll have an extra jury vote when the time comes to give her the axe." Elias explained. "I was originally planning on getting rid of her sooner, but maybe Kida's worth keeping around a little longer…"_

D'looa saw Kida coming over and narrowed her eyes. "What were you doing, Kida?" She asked. "Barney told us you went over to talk to Elias when he suggested not to."

"The dude just looked flustered and I felt sorry for him!" Kida insisted. "I just talked with him for a bit and that was it."

"He doesn't look very flustered now." Crane noted. "You think he's already planning something?"

Barney folded his arms. "Wouldn't be surprised." He replied with a shake of his head.

"_I think Kida may be a little too friendly for her own good. The rest of us are beginning to find something fishy about Elias and we're afraid he'll start playing Kida for the fool when the time comes." D'looa explained, holding her head. "I just hope that we can get her to realize this before Elias turns the game around on all of us."_

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"_For the most part, the people here are pretty well-organized. But there are a few things about everyone here that sorta sets them apart from everyone else." Angie said. "Shee'Na and Reginald aren't really that friendly, and Marty seems extremely paranoid around Shee'Na. And don't get me started on Sandy. It's like one minute she's acting normal and the next she's a complete lunatic. Zoe's friendly, but she just gives off that stench whenever she gets excited, which I have to say is pretty often. Jonathan seems to be the only 'normal' one on the tribe."_

Angie walked over to Jonathan, whom was standing on the beach and looking out at the water.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah. Man, you guys have SUCH a better camp than we do." Angie said.

"Marty and Shee'Na have told us that." Jonathan said with a smirk. "You thinking this may be the merged tribe campsite?"

"I'll definitely recommend the site to my tribe for when we DO make the merge." Angie nodded before a smirk floated across her face. "Hey, Jonathan?"

"Yeah?"

"A few people at my tribe realize that we're getting close to the merge." The yellow cat replied. "That way, we'll be thinking on voting strategically in case we make the merge. You think about doing that?"

Jonathan looked down at Angie. "Well, no. I can't say that the thought crossed my mind." He admitted.

"You should really think about it." Angie pointed out. "You should know what would happen if you went into the merge with the wrong people."

This seemed to cause Jonathan to think for a moment. "Hmm…I honestly never thought about that." He noted.

"Just keep it in mind." Angie suggested as she turned and wandered away.

"_Angie had a pretty good point. The merge SHOULD be coming soon…If we end up at losing Immunity, we may have to end up voting strategically." Jonathan noted. "Mind, you, that would be just if we lost Immunity. This is something I'll have to keep in the back of my head for now, because we're not sure when exactly the merge is coming up. Heck, the merge could come tomorrow for all we know!"_

"Whatcha' thinking about, Jonathan?" Zoe asked as she walked over to her fellow swing vote.

"I'm just pondering a few possibilities for the future."Jonathan replied.

"Such as?"

"How would we vote strategically if we don't know when the merge is coming?"

**(Nago Tribe)**

"What's up, Crane?" Mel asked. "You're looking a little worried."

"I'm not liking our chances, Mel." Crane replied.

"What do you mean? We're got an alliance with Barney. I'd say that's pretty good."

"Let's face it, Mel. Barney's going to be a target the instant we make the merge and I know that we'll be sure to follow." The rudie explained.

"Why would they want to get rid of us after the merge?" Mel asked, scratching her head. "It would make much more sense to get rid of a stronger person by then."

"But we have an alliance going on." Crane explained. "That gives one of us an instant jury vote when the other gets eliminated."

"_Man. This isn't good, then. It's true that Barney would be a target at the merge, but I never clued in that Crane and I could be next because of a jury vote." Mel explained. "Once we make the merge, we'll need to lay low so we can pass through a few Tribal Councils after the merge. If not, we'll be sitting ducks for whoever ends up in charge…"_

"So what do you propose we do?" Mel asked.

"We'll have to think some serious strategy once we make the merge." Crane explained. "We'll need to vote off our strongest player then and Barney's on our side."

"That would mean getting rid of Elias." Mel nodded in understanding. "Okay. I get you."

"So you'd be in complete agreement with me for getting rid of him?" Crane asked.

"Yeah. He's starting to give me the creeps, anyway." Mel nodded. "Okay. When we make the merge, we'll need to get rid of Elias as soon as we can."

"Good to see that we're finally on the same page." Crane nodded with a smile. "You think Barney would be willing to vote with us next time?"

"Hey, it would either be him or Elias." Mel shrugged. "I think he'd be willing to stick around if it meant getting rid of someone everyone feels a little uneasy around."

"_I'll admit that I was a little hasty in wanting to get rid of Elias by the sixth day, but now that the merge is coming up, we may actually be able to vote strategically and get rid of him in we lose Immunity." Crane explained with a smirk. "I want to be there when that arrogant smirk is wiped off his face, and I can't wait until we finally manage to get him eliminated."_

Night eventually rolled around for everyone. Soon after that, everyone was again sound asleep, wondering what the next day would bring.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 17)**

Marty left the shelter and looked around. He was determined to get on Shee'Na's good side and had finally mustered up the courage to actually talk to her. Spotting the Klingon woman standing off to the side, Marty gulped and wandered over.

"_Okay. I finally got the guts to talk to Shee'Na and see if I can get onto her alliance, but I still don't know if she'll even let me on." Marty admitted. "I'm afraid that if I cross her, she'll go all Klingon Battle Warrior on me and kill me. I think Sandy trusts me enough to let me onto their alliance, but Shee'Na is the one I really want permission granted from."_

"Uh…Shee'Na?" Marty asked.

Shee'Na turned her head and saw Marty coming over nervously. Her gaze remained neutral for now. "What is it?" She asked.

"I…I just wanted to know if I could join the alliance with you and Sandy." Marty explained. "I want to show you that I'm on your side here."

Shee'Na paused, appearing thoughtful. "Okay. You've been persistent enough that I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now." She explained.

Marty's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

"Yes. I'll let you join the alliance, but remember that if you're trying to trick me…" Shee'Na warned.

"I-I swear I'm not even thinking about doing that!" Marty insisted.

"_I suppose I've been a little hard on the koopa as of late. I think it's probably for the best that I gave him a chance to redeem himself in my eyes." Shee'Na said. "He seems honest enough to stay with the alliance and WAS responsible for keeping Sandy alive back on day 12. Maybe officially bringing him into the alliance wouldn't be such a bad idea."_

"I-I'm glad that we finally have this worked out." Marty grinned nervously.

"For now." Shee'Na reminded. "Keep in mind that the instant you betray me, I'm dropping you."

"Hey! We've got some treemail!" Zoe said as she rushed over.

"What's it asking?" Reginald asked.

"It's asking how strong our stomachs are." Zoe explained.

"It's obviously going to be an eating task." Jonathan explained. "But the big question is what they'll be making us eat."

"Thank you SO much for putting those thoughts in my head, man." Marty moaned.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 17)**

"_If this show is following the same layout as it has been, then we'll be having a Reward Challenge today, which I'll admit is something we haven't really been doing that well in." D'looa said. "We've only managed to win one out of five Reward Challenges so far and we've really been struggling to get by with the supplies that we have."_

"Hey, Barney? Can we talk?" Crane asked the team's strongman as he and Mel approached him.

"Uh…Sure. What is it?" Barney asked.

"We want to propose a stronger alliance plan." Crane explained. "We're approaching the merge soon, and I think we all know that as soon as we do, you'll be a target for elimination."

Barney paused, realizing that Crane was right.

"When the merge comes, we need to take out our strongest player, and that's Elias." Mel explained. "Unless we lose the rest of the challenges up to the merge, we'll still have more people than Temlin, so we can afford to lose him."

Barney nodded. "Yeah. You guys have a point. Elias is definitely the strongest player aside from me." He admitted. "Okay. I may not have been keen on eliminating him earlier on in the game, but I'll go with it this time."

"You want him gone as well?" Crane asked with a smirk.

"He's starting to give off bad vibes for sure." Barney nodded. "He definately needs to go before he turns the game around on everyone."

"_I agreed to take out Elias for a couple of reason, but I only told the kids about the one. The other reason is that he actually thought he could take Bonnie to the finals." Barney explained. "Sorry, but forming an alliance with the person no one liked won't really make you popular with the rest of the tribe. Hopefully, we can show him that before he does something to the rest of us."_

"Looks like we've got some treemail." Elias said as he walked over.

"Is it Reward?" D'looa asked.

"It doesn't say, but I assume it is." Elias nodded. "It says 'Hope that you've got a couple of strong stomachs on your team'."

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" D'looa mused.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

Angie stood alone on the Nago Mat as the Temlin Tribe waited for the other tribe to show up. The yellow cat looks anxious to get the challenge started.

"What do you say we bring in the Nago Tribe?" SSBFreak asked as the Nago Tribe entered the clearing and walked over to the mat.

Angie smirked when she saw that a familiar hothead was gone from the crowd.

"Bonnie was voted off at Tribal Council." SSBFreak explained.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Angie said as her team rejoined her.

"I suppose that you all want to get this challenge started. Now, I know you all expecting a Reward Challenge, but let me assure you that this is an Immunity Challenge." Several of the contestants looked indifferent, but the majority of the Nago Tribe looked a little upset that there was no Reward up for grabs. "For this Immunity Challenge, you will go one-on-one in an eating challenge. The dishes will consist of items found in some of your home nodes, but to be fair, we'll make sure that you aren't served the dishes you're familiar with. Whoever finishes their dish first scores a point for their team and the first team with four points at the end will win Immunity."

SSBFreak looked at the Nago Tribe before continuing. "Nago, you've got one extra person. Whom will you be sitting out?" He asked.

"I'll sit out." Elias shrugged.

"Okay. Get your order ready, teams. We'll start the first round once the order has been decided."

**(Later…)**

Mel and Zoe stood at a table with two covered dishes. SSBFreak stood in between the two girls, ready to start the match.

"Okay. Round one is Mel vs. Zoe. The first dish is something Marty could be familiar with." SSBFreak said as he lifted the covers off the dishes. "A Fire Flower!"

Standing off to the side, Marty's eyes snapped open. "Oh, crap! Those things are incredibly spicy when eaten!" He whispered to Shee'Na.

The two girls started eating the Fire Flowers placed in front of them, quickly finding that the fire-breathing plant was indeed incredibly spicy. Mel and Zoe coughed several times as they tried to choke the rest of their dish down their throats.

In the end, Mel was taking too long while she was coughing. This gave Zoe the edge she needed to finish the Fire Flower on her plate, winning her team the point.

"Zoe's finished the Fire Flower! Temlin leads 1-0!" SSBFreak said.

"Way to go, Zoe!" Jonathan cheered. "You put us ahead!"

"And now you need to keep the lead." Reginald warned. "You're up next, if I recall."

Jonathan's eyes widened in realization as he approached the table and saw that his opponent was Kida. The Rilgarian grinned at him and gave a 'rock on' sign with her hand.

"Okay, the next round is Kida vs. Jonathan. The next dish is something I'm sure Barney has had a few times in the past…" SSBFreak said as he lifted the covers off the two dishes, revealing a couple of drinks. "An Elixir!"

Barney's eyes widened and D'looa noticed this. "What's wrong? It's just a drink." She said.

"Elixirs may give you energy, but they also have a very refined taste." Barney explained. "You really have to get used to the taste to actually enjoy it."

Both Kida and Jonathan found that Barney was right and found the drink to have an unusual taste that made them want to back off.

"Blech. What do they use when they make these things?" Jonathan asked.

"Trust me. You don't wanna know." Barney shook his head.

The two teams cheered for the players as they continued to force down the energy drink. However, as Jonathan was about mid-way through his Elixir, his eyes snapped open as he started coughing and sputtering. As Jonathan collapsed to one knee, Kida finished off her Elixer and slammed the cup down onto the table again.

"And Kida ties the score at 1-1!" SSBFreak announced.

Kida shot her arms into the air and prepared to let out a whoop of victory, but what came out was a loud belch instead. Kida quickly closed her mouth in embarrassment and retreated back to her team.

"What happened, Jonathan?" SSBFreak asked.

"Some of the Elixer went down the wrong pipe." Jonathan wheezed as he went back to his team.

The next two were Angie and Reginald. The extreme height difference between the two almost looked comical.

"Round three is Angie vs. Reginald. This next dish is something Mel may or may not be familiar with." SSBFreak said as he lifted the covers of the dishes. "Black Apples!"

Mel's eyes snapped open. "Black Apples?! Are you insane?!" She asked.

"What's wrong, dude?" Kida asked.

"We use Black Apples for decorating! Not eating!" Mel said. "No one in my town even LIKES Black Apples!"

"Thanks for the re-assurance." Reginald muttered as he looked at the black fruit in front of him.

Reginald tried eating the Black Apple, but found the taste far too unbearable for him. Angie, on the other hand, was managing to force her dish down her throat with relative ease.

"You not even trying, Reggie." SSBFreak noted.

"Reginald!" Reginald shouted. "And there's no way I'd be able to eat that. It tastes far too horrible for me."

Angie managed to swallow the last of her Black Apple, although she looked disgusted. "Didn't stop me." She reminded.

"And Angie wins, putting Nago ahead 2-1!" SSBFreak said.

"I'm inpressed, Angie. You managed to put us in the lead." Elias said.

"That was nothing. You should try eating Chao Fruit." Angie chuckled.

"What a coincidence." SSBFreak said as he lifted the covers off the next dishes, revealing oddly-shaped fruit. "That's exactly what the next dish is."

Barney didn't look very excited about this particular challenge, especially since Angie had just said that Chao Fruit was worse than the Black Apple. Sandy, on the other hand, looked intently prepared and ready to start eating.

"Well, round four is Barney vs. Sandy and the dish is Chao Fruit." SSBFreak explained. "Keep in mind that these things are delicious to Chao, but not to people."

The roles were completely reversed for this challenge from the last. Barney was slowly managing to choke down the Chao Fruit, but Sandy was going at a much faster rate and looked well on her way to finishing the task first.

"Look at Sandy go." Zoe shook her head. "I think we've got this round in the bag."

Jonathan cleared his still-aching throat before speaking. "Yeah. At least we'll have it tied."

Sandy easily finished the Chao Fruit before Barney finished even half of his. Sandy grinned as she spun the core of the Chao Fruit on her finger. "How was that even bad in the first place?" She asked.

"That fruit didn't bother you?" SSBFreak asked.

"A store in my town imports that stuff all the time." Sandy shrugged. "I didn't know it wasn't meant for human consumption."

SSBFreak stood in silence. "Uh…Sandy wins and ties the game at 2-2!" He announced.

Shee'Na raised an eyebrow as she passed Sandy on the way to the table, but decided against question her and instead focused on the challenge. She reached the table and saw D'looa approaching.

"Round five is D'looa vs. Shee'Na. This next dish is something Kida might be familiar with." SSBFreak said as he removed the covers of the next dishes. "Fish from the resort planet of Pokitaru!"

Kida blinked, then raised her hand. "Uh…Did you get the fish before or after the water of that planet got polluted, bro?" She asked.

SSBFreak seemed to pretend not to hear Kida and signaled the start of the round. Although a little hesitant, the two aliens women started eating the prepared fish. Needless to say, the fish tasted terrible, but the two endured and continued eating.

"D'looa's not losing any steam." Elias noted. "I'm surprised she's keeping up as well as she is."

"She IS from Tatooine." Mel shrugged. "They don't exactly have the best food around."

"True enough." Elias nodded.

"How is Shee'Na managing to stomach that fish like that?" Zoe asked. "She hasn't even paused to cough in disgust."

"She's a Klingon. What'd you expect?" Reginald asked, rolling his eyes.

Shee'Na and D'looa continued to eat through the fish at a steady rate, but in the end, only one of them could win. And once she was done, the winner swallowed the last bite and stepped away from the table.

"And D'looa brings Nago into a lead of 3-2!" SSBFreak announced. "This next round could decide it all!"

Crane and Marty approached the table and eyed each other, Marty looking a lot more nervous than Crane did. Said rudie smirked and waited for the challenge to start.

"Here's the situation. Marty needs to win this to send the challenge into a tie-breaker. If Crane wins, Nago wins Immunity. This dish comes straight from the Starfox node, so Zoe may know it." SSBFreak explained as he lifted the covers of the dishes. "Kani!"

Zoe turned white and Jonathan looked down at her. "Uh…I probably shouldn't be asking this, but what are 'Kani'?" He asked.

"Large, mutated, water spiders." Zoe explained quietly so she wouldn't alert Marty. "Considered a delicacy on Zoness, but not to tourists."

Crane and Marty were managing to choke the cooked dish down, but were clearly struggling. This was understandable considering what the dish was, despite the fact that neither of the two knew what they were eating.

Marty knew that the tribe was counting on him to keep them in the game, but Crane also knew that Immunity was depending on him. This was enough motivation for the two to keep them going. The two seemed to be going at an even pace and no clear winner could be noticed at this point.

However, in the end, one of the two managed to complete the task of eating the cooked water spider before the other. The victorious contestant swallowed the last bite of Kani, finishing the task.

"And Crane wins the challenge!" SSBFreak announced. "Nago wins Immunity!"

Marty held his head low as the Nago Tribe erupted in cheers for the victorious rudie.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulatons on your fourth Immunity victory, Nago. You are all safe for tonight." SSBFreak told the victorious tribe before turning to the losing one. "Temlin, you guys will be voting someone off at Tribal Council tonight, so I'll see you then." Before continuing, he looked at Nago again. "Nago, who are you going to kidnap? You can't kidnap the same person twice, so Marty and Shee'Na are out of the question."

Elias stroked his chin in thought as the team discussed about who to kidnap. "Sandy." He said, earning a few questioning glares from his tribe.

Sandy looked at Shee'Na and Marty a couple of times as she made her way over to the Nago Tribe.

"Sandy is safe tonight and will rejoin her tribe at the next challenge." SSBFreak explained. "Temlin, I'll see you at Tribal Council tonight."

Stepping backwards, SSBFreak looked at everyone. "You can all head back to camp."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"_We lost Immunity and that means that another one of us is going. Sandy was kidnapped, so it's the koopa and I against the rabbit." Shee'Na explained. "Now we just need to make sure that we have the support of the swing votes so we can get rid of him without having to worry about. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this is that the swing votes have never really stayed loyal to anyone as of yet…"_

"Guys, we need you to vote for Reginald." Marty explained. "You saw how poorly he did in the challenge."

"Indeed. You managed to do a lot better than he did." Shee'Na agreed, looking at Zoe. "Face the facts. The rabbit is a liability."

"Hey, we totally agree with you on that. Reggie's definitely not the strongest guy we've got." Jonathan insisted. "It would definitely be smart to vote him off, especially since we think that his intelligence may have outlasted its usefulness by now."

"Look, we NEED your votes tonight, guys." Marty explained. "Can we trust you guys to pull through?"

"We'll just see how the votes go tonight." Zoe nodded.

Shee'Na narrowed her eyes. "Remember. If you two don't follow through…" She threatened.

"I get it! I get it! You'll bring the pain!" Jonathan said, waving his hands in front of his face.

Shee'Na and Marty left the two swing votes, but it didn't do much to help Marty. "I dunno about this, Shee'Na. I still think that they'll be voting for me." He explained.

"They know not to make me mad. They already found out how mad I could get when they voted out Lilah." Shee'Na replied. "They'll vote with us."

Meanwhile, Zoe bit her lip and looked at Jonathan. "You think we're doing the right thing?" She asked.

"Yeah. I think we are." Jonathan nodded.

"_I think something's changed about Jonathan. Ever since Angie talked to him, he's been doing a lot of thinking." Zoe explained, scratching her head. "I mean, it's putting good ideas into his head, but I'm just not sure about some of them. I just hope he doesn't get too far in over his head before these ideas start coming back to bite him."_

**(Tribal Council)**

Five members of Temlin entered Tribal Council, carrying their torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start talking.

"Welcome to your fourth Tribal Council, Temlin Tribe. In a moment, you will all vote and eliminate someone from the game." SSBFreak explained. "You all must know by now that the person with the most votes will get eliminated." Scanning the quintet, the host decided to start asking questions. "Jonathan, this is the fourth time out of six that you guys have lost Immunity. How does that feel?"

"It sucks. It sucks royally." Jonathan shook his head. "I just feel that we're capable of doing so much more, especially since we've dominated almost all of the Reward Challeneges so far. We just keep getting hit with bad luck during Immunity and it's enough for us to cost the game."

"You think you can get your act in the game after this?"

"I sure hope so. I hate losing…"

"Shee'Na, Sandy was kidnapped after the challenge" SSBFreak explained. "Was she a target for elimination tonight?"

"Not that I know of. She actually did well in the challenge, so I can't think of a reason to get rid of her." Shee'Na shrugged. "I think the other tribe just didn't have anyone to kidnap and picked her at random like we did with the cat."

"Reginald, it looks like it's just you against everyone else with your alliance gone." SSBFreak noted. "You think that you're in danger?"

"With the swing votes, you just never know." Reginald sighed. "I wish that I could get some concrete loyalty out of them, but they just seem intent on staying by themselves."

"Because we're still not sure who to join." Zoe explained. "If we knew who to join, we'd join them in an alliance."

"Then why haven't you by now?! It's been seventeen days and you two are STILL going solo!" Reginald snapped.

"Reginald, settle down." SSBFreak ordered. "Marty, who's going home?"

"Either me or Reginald, depending on how the cards fall with the swing votes." Marty sighed. "Shee'Na and I are hoping that Jonathan and Zoe will vote with us, because otherwise, I'll be the one eliminated."

"Well, I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Jonathan, you're up."

Jonathan stood up and left the hut, walking towards the secluded voting urn. He wrote down a name and placed it into the jar without a second thought.

Shee'Na approached the table and vote for Reginald. "I just hope that the swing votes decided to vote for you as well." She said.

Reginald walked up to the table, wrote a name down and casually placed it into the urn.

Marty walked up to the table and wrote a name own, showing it to the camera. "Your time is up, man. We need you to go before you start costing us challenges." He said, having voted for Reginald.

Zoe reached the voting table and, after a moment's notice, wrote a name down and placed it into the jar to cast it.

After all five votes had been cast, SSBFreak fetched the voting urn. "Once I read the votes, the person with the most votes against them will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; Reginald." Reginald grunted in annoyance.

"Reginald. That's two votes for Reginald." Reginald growled, seeing as his name had been written down as 'Reggie'.

"…Shee'Na." Shee'Na and Marty's eyes snapped open in shock.

"Shee'Na. Two votes for Reginald and two for Shee'Na." Shee'Na couldn't believe what was happening. "Last vote and sixth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Shee'Na. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

Marty sat there, flabbergasted. "But…B-But…But…" He stuttered in shock.

Shee'Na sighed and stood up. "Marty, you officially have my trust." She explained as she picked up her torch. "Don't lose the game now." The Klingon woman approached SSBFreak and saw that he had the usual snuffer in his hand.

"Shee'Na, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Shee'Na's flame. "It's time for you to go."

Shee'Na cast a dark glare at Reginald over her shoulder for a second as she turned and left without a word. Reginald shuddered.

Once Shee'Na was gone, SSBFreak turned to the rest of the tribe. "With Shee'Na gone, you have just voted out your strongest player. I'm not sure if that's the best strategy to do before the merge, but we'll see where this goes in a little bit." He explained. "You now once again are behind two people. Nago now has a fairly big advantage, and I'm sure that you'll all be trying your hardest to stay in the game. You can all head back to camp."

Everyone stood up, gathered their torches and left Tribal Council, Marty taking a couple of seconds to stand up. The results of the Tribal Council still left him stunned. By all figures, he should have been the one eliminated, but instead the rest of the tribe voted off their strongest player. Marty followed his tribe out of Tribal Council, wondering what everyone else was thinking…

"_I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset that I was eliminated so early in the game. I had the strength to go far in this game and the others just didn't see it that way. I fail to see the logic in kicking off a strong player before the merge hits." Shee'Na sighed before forming a small smile. "On the plus side, I'll be able to see Lilah again. Now I just need to hope that Sandy and Marty are able to outlast the others and do well…"_

**Voting History:**

**Shee'Na: Reginald, Jonathan and Zoe**

**Reginald: Shee'Na and Marty**

_Author's Note: And thus becomes the first major blindside of the competition. This still isn't going to be the last blindside, though._

Coming into this, I knew that Barney would be the strong person to go further into the game, so right away Shee'Na had become expendable. I wanted Shee'Na to be an early boot, and one that no one would see coming. She did her job for what it was worth, but was unfortunately doomed to be eliminated.


	8. Days 18 to 20

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Marty, still shocked at the results of Tribal Council, walked into camp after everyone else. The scrawny koopa just couldn't believe the turn of events and the fact that they had chosen him over Shee'Na just blew his mind.

"_I don't believe it! I've spent the majority of the past twelve days trying to regain Shee'Na's trust, and just when I do, the others eliminate her!" Marty exclaimed. "Besides, I don't see the point! Those morons just eliminated our strongest player and we're not even at the merge yet! What are those guys thinking?!"_

Reginald went to bed quickly, but Marty stopped the two people he knew were responsible for eliminating Shee'Na. "Why would you two get rid of her?! Without Shee'Na, we're going to lose the challenges!" Marty accused. "What were you thinking?!"

"We're thinking that we're coming up to the merge soon, and Nago still has Barney." Jonathan pointed out. "Going against both him and Shee'Na during the merge would be near-impossible, so we decided to get rid of Shee'Na so we'll be in good form for the merge."

"But what if we're NOT coming up to the merge yet?" Marty reminded.

"That's a risk we're going to have to take." Jonathan explained.

Zoe's shoulders slumped a little bit, but neither Marty nor Jonathan noticed.

"_I was honestly against voting out Shee'Na. Marty was working so hard to regain her trust as well." Zoe sighed sadly. "But Jonathan had a point. We'll be coming up to the merge soon and going against both Barney and Shee'Na would be tough. I'm not sure where Jonathan got the idea from, because this doesn't seem like the type of thing that he would come up with."_

Jonathan went to bed soon after, with Zoe following him, although giving Marty an apologetic glance as she entered the shelter. This left Marty standing out on the campgrounds, alone. The scrawny koopa sighed.

"This isn't good. Now Sandy may be mad at me when she gets back." Marty lamented. "How am I going to tell her that the rest of the tribe voted off her alliance member?"

Marty slowly went over to the shelter and entered it, preparing for the next day.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 18)**

"Is Angie still asleep?" Elias asked as he approached D'looa and Kida, whom were talking with Sandy.

"As always." D'looa shook her head.

"She's always this lazy? She slept in a good amount while she was with our tribe." Sandy said.

"She's usually sleeping in late." D'looa replied.

"_I told Angie to plant some ideas into someone's head if she got kidnapped, and she did. Unfortunately, she went to bed before she could tell me anything." Elias said. "If she got someone thinking over at the other tribe, they may have voted out an asset if they bought it. I just need to wait for her to wake up so she can tell me, and I'm starting to get anxious."_

"So who do you think was voted out last night, dudette?" Kida asked Sandy.

"Hopefully that rabbit. Shee'Na and I think he's getting a little too overconfident despite the fact that the rest of his alliance was eliminated." Sandy replied.

"He seems like a good player, though." D'looa pointed out. "Why would they want to get rid of him?"

"He may be a brainiac, but his physical skills suck royally." Sandy laughed. "The only reason we didn't get rid of him at the last Tribal Council was because we wanted Shee'Na to have the last laugh and vote him out."

Elias paused, then lifted an eyebrow behind his shades. "You're acting fairly normal, Sandy. I thought you were a lunatic." He noted.

Sandy shrugged. "Eh. Comes and goes. Sometimes, my love of destruction comes up at the least likely of times, so don't blame me if you wake up from a nap and you find yourself hanging upside down from a palm tree by your toes." She supplied. A grin slowly formed on her face. "Actually, is that cat of yours still asleep?"

_D'looa sat in front of the camera, a wide-eyed expression on her face. "That woman brings a new meaning to the word 'crazy'. And she just acts as if everything's normal in her world." She pointed out. "Boy, Sandy would make one heck of a podracer. Or better yet, a secret weapon against the Empire. We unleash Sandy and she can single-handedly bring down the entire Empire. Somehow, I don't think I'm too far away from the truth…"_

As Sandy got up and wandered off, D'looa and Kida looked at each other. Kida spun her finger around where her ear would be and D'looa nodded silently.

Elias, however, was mildly amused. "Hmm…Too bad she didn't end up on my team. She would have been an excellent alliance member."

**(Temlin Tribe; Day 18)**

"_I can't believe it, but I managed to surive Tribal Council despite that I don't have anyone on my alliance. We ended up voting out our strongest player, but at least I'm still in the game." Reginald said with a smirk. "Jonathan was the one to come to me with the idea and I have to admit that it wasn't bad. We ARE coming up to the merge soon and I definitely wouldn't want to go against both Barney and Shee'Na during the merge."_

"It's good to see that you two finally came to your senses and joined me." Reginald said as he walked up to Jonathan. "Now, I think you and I both agree that Sandy should go next."

"Dude, Zoe and I only joined you because we needed the majority to get rid of Shee'Na." Jonathan explained.

"You mean that you still don't want to join an alliance with me?" Reginald asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Not really. We don't really like you that much."

"I hope you realize that I can still get the two of you voted off." Reginald narrowed his eyes. "I'm capable of a lot more than you give me credit for."

"You can't afford to lose us, Reggie." Jonathan said with a smirk. "You need the swing votes."

With that, Jonathan turned and left the tall Rabbid. However, a smirk formed on Reginald's face after Jonathan left.

"Until we get to the merge, that is." Reginald said. "Don't be surprised if you or that skunk friend of yours ends up getting eliminated next."

"_Ugh. That rabbit acts like he's in charge even when he's in a total minority in the tribe. I have to say that if we weren't coming up to the merge and I didn't fear Shee'Na's strength, I would have voted off Reginald last night." Jonathan admitted. "Well, I'm capable of a little strategy myself. Once we make the merge, I'm sure that things are definitely going to get ugly."_

Zoe walked up to Jonathan as he was leaving Reginald. "I'm still not sure if we were doing the right thing in voting off Shee'Na, Jonathan." She explained. "What if we AREN'T approaching the merge?"

"We may not have been given another chance, Zoe." Jonathan shrugged. "I figured that it was best to do it while we could and we were close enough to the merge to get away with it and still do okay."

"I just hope you're right. We may have just shot ourselves in the foot." Zoe sighed.

**(Nago Tribe)**

"_I've been scoping out the competition while I'm over here, so don't think I'm just wasting my time acting like my usual self to annoy and confuse the others, although I've been doing a lot of that as well." Sandy said, wiggling her eyebrows. "So we've got a few kids, a couple of moderately-strong girls, a guy that thinks as much as Reggie and the strongest guy on the tribe. For the most part, these people don't look so tough."_

Mel was walking through the campgrounds when she suddenly noticed Sandy apparently spying on someone, although her method of doing it confused her.

"Uh…Sandy, why are you hanging upside-down from that branch?" Mel asked, looking up.

"Ssh! I'm spying on Elias and Angie!" Sandy whispered.

"Wait a minute. Angie's up?" Mel asked. "How long has she been up?"

"I dunno. I've been watching the two of them talk for about ten minutes now." Sandy shrugged.

"What's going on?" Barney asked as hecame walking over.

"Seems that Angie's already up without telling us." Mel replied. "She and Elias are talking together."

"You think an alliance is being formed?" Barney asked suspiciously.

"Probably. The two people on the outskirts of your tribe have joined together in an attempt to take you all out from the inside out." Sandy said, hanging upside down in Barney's face. "Boy! It sounds like something out of one of those horror novels my dad was afraid to let me read when I was a kid!"

Barney stood in silence for a couple of seconds before pushing Sandy's face back, making her lose her grip on the branch with her legs and causing her to crash onto the ground.

"_Okay. We've had our suspicions in the past, but now I think it's safe to assume that Elias is in an alliance with Angie." Barney said, his arms folded. "If he thinks he's going to pull the wool over our eyes, he's got another thing coming. Elias is a smart player, and if we act fast, we'll be able to stop him in his tracks before he can get anywhere with anything he's planning."_

"Mel, you tell Crane about this and I'll relay it to D'looa and Kida." Barney said.

"Got it. Chances are Elias is going to put a plan into action as soon as we make the merge." Mel nodded.

With that, the two Nago Tribe members walked off to tell the identity of the secret alliance to the others.

"I'm okay…" Sandy said from the ground. "…The thistle broke my fall…"

**(Temlin Tribe)**

Marty growled as he tugged at the fishing line, having managed to hook something. Whatever the fish was, Marty could tel that it was big due to how much of a struggle it was putting up. It took a lot of effort, but Marty was able to pull the fish onto the shore. It wasn't as big as one of the fishes Sandy would catch with her bare hands, but it was still pretty big.

"_I've been pulling my weight as much as I can for this tribe, and after seeing Shee'Na, our strongest member, getting voted out, I need to double my efforts to make the others realize that I'm strong enough to keep around." Marty explained. "And with Sandy over at the other tribe, I need to try that much harder if I want to survive."_

"Okay. It's not much, but it's definitely a start." Marty nodded.

"Uh…Hey, Marty?"

The scrawny koopa turned and saw Zoe coming over, wringing her hands nervously.

"Yeah? What's up, Zoe?" Marty asked.

"I know you're upset about Shee'Na getting voted out." Zoe pointed out. "I just wanted to let you know that I was completely against voting her out."

Marty sighed. "It's just that I spent the majority of the time since Lilah was voted out trying to gain her trust, and the instant I do, she gets eliminated." He replied. "It's like all my work was in vain."

"I'm sorry, Marty. It's just that Jonathan told me that we may not have been given another chance before the merge." Zoe insisted. "I thought that he had too much of a point to not go with it."

"So what do we do now?" Marty asked.

"Hope that we ARE getting close to the merge and that the risk pays off." Zoe suggested.

"_Jonathan may be a good planner, but I think this idea of his is flawed. I mean, what if we AREN'T going to the merge yet?" Zoe quizzed. "We may have just made ourselves easier to beat at challenges. I know I keep saying this, but I hope Jonathan was right. If he wasn't right and we're not at the merge, he probably just made himself a target."_

**(Nago Tribe)**

"Elias is really having an alliance with Angie?" D'looa asked in surprise.

"That's what it looked like to Mel and I." Barney shrugged. "My guess is that the reason Elias looked so nervewracked while Angie was gone was because he couldn't talk strategy with her."

"It's definitely starting to sound like he's planning something." D'looa nodded. "Okay. Should we target him the next time we lose Immunity?"

"I dunno, man…" Kida rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "We kinda need his strength and stuff."

"Kida, this isn't a good time for you to have sympathy for him." D'looa pointed out. "If we wait too long to get rid of him, he may tear the entire tribe apart."

"Hey, I'm just saying that we could still need him for future challenges, man!" Kida insisted.

"_I know Kida was only standing up for Elias because of the fact that she confided in him a couple of days ago, but I swear that she's just backing herself into a corner here." D'looa shook her head. "If Kida isn't careful, she'll realize Elias is playing her for the fool as soon as he votes her off."_

The trio looked over and saw Crane coming over with Mel. Mel had obviously told Crane about the alliance, as the white-haired rudie had a more-serious look on his face than he usually did.

"I take it Barney told you guys?" Crane asked.

Barney nodded. "Yeah. We were just talking about what we should do." He explained.

"Simple. Vote him out once we lose Immunity again." Crane shrugged.

"See, Kida? Everyone's all for getting rid of Elias." D'looa explained to her friend.

Kida bit her lip, but nodded.

_Crane sat in front of the camera, smirking. "Finally, I'll be able to get that snake of a man off my back. Looks like my patience is finally paying off." He explained. "All there is left to do is do the Immunity Challenge and hope we lose so we can vote him off. Now that everyone else seems to be on my side, it doesn't look like anyone would miss him."_

D'looa made a quick scan of the campgrounds. "Uh…Where's Sandy?" She asked.

Mel looked around as well. "I'm not sure. She was there a second ago." She explained, pointing off to her left.

Suddenly, a familiar black-haired woman came swinging down on a vine (having jumped from a tree branch), letting out a Tarzan cry. Sandy swooped down, collided with Crane and carried him off as she swung past the others. This left the other members of the tribe standing or sitting in silence.

"…Okay. I'm suddenly extremely glad that she didn't end up on our team." Mel piped up.

**(Temlin Tribe)**

The tribe was quiet due to two reasons. One, the dwindling numbers of the Temlin Tribe and two, Sandy was currently at the Nago Tribe. Only Reginald, Marty, Jonathan and Zoe were left in camp, all silently sitting around the campfire as they ate.

"So what challenge do you guys think we'll have tomorrow?" Zoe asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation, sensing the three-way tension between Jonathan, Marty and Reginald.

"I don't think we'll be having a challenge, to be honest." Jonathan shrugged. "I think that the merge is coming."

"But if we DID have a challenge, it would be Reward." Reginald added. "So just in case, we'll need to be ready for anything."

"Yeah. Because we'll be needing it after you guys voted out our strongest player." Marty mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Uh…Nothing."

"_Yeah. I could sense that there was tension so I didn't want to press my luck any further than I had to. Reggie's angry at Jonathan because he's not getting a concrete alliance, Jonathan's angry at Reggie because he threatened to get both him and Zoe eliminated, and I'm angry at them both for voting out Shee'Na." Marty explained. "This definitely isn't the same tribe we started the game with. I haven't seen this much bottled-up anger since I told my girlfriend's parents I was dating their daughter."_

Reginald paused before sighing. "Okay. I know we don't exactly see eye-to-eye with each other, but we need to work together if we need to pull ahead." He explained. "We're two people down again, but after the merge we need to band together if we want to get ahead of the other tribe."

"He's right." Zoe nodded. "When we get to the merge, we can't be at each others throats. If we try to get each other eliminated, the other team will pick us off one at a time."

"So I think it's obvious that when the time comes, we'll work together." Reginald nodded, receiving reluctant agrees from Jonathan and Marty.

Eventually, night came along and everyone remaining on both tribes were soon fast asleep, some dreading the next day.

**(Nago Tribe, Day 19)**

Angie yawned as she got out of bed, scratching her head. Slowly leaving the shelter, Angie saw that everyone else, Sandy included, was already awake. Seeing Elias prodding the fire pit with a stick, Angie made her way over.

"Am I the last one up?" Angie asked.

"Naturally." Elias replied simply. "Look, I know it's your plan to make yourself seem as useless as possible, and while I think that it's a decent plan, I think you may want to rethink your strategy."

"_My plan's been working so far and it's carried me this far into the game. Hopefully, once we make the merge, the others will see me as a non-threat and take me to the finals." Angie noted. "If I can last until the merge and make myself look as useless as I can, I think I'm good to go deep into the game."_

As Elias and Angie were talking, a bush started moving, getting the attention of both of them. Elias and Angie looked at the bush in time to see Sandy burst out from within it, wearing face paint and clutching a handmade spear. Sandy let out a battle cry.

"The sand weavels are here! They're going to destroy us all limb by limb!" Sandy shouted. "Take cover! Every man for himself!"

With that, Sandy leapt off and ran away, waving her spear in her hand.

"And…What was that?" Angie asked.

"I thought you'd know considering that you were actually over at their tribe before." Elias replied.

"_Sandy's an unusual one and extremely hard to read, even for me. I thought I would have had everyone memorized by now, but I still haven't gotten that woman down yet." Elias noted, rubbing his chin. "The way that she just popped up where Angie and I were talking makes me wonder if she's a lot smarter than she lets on. She could be a real mastermind and we don't even know it."_

"Looks like we've got some treemail." Crane called out as he came over with some treemail.

Everyone gathered around Crane as he read the treemail, Sandy still wearing her face paint. "What's it asking?" The crazy woman asked.

"'Follow the directions and be ready for anything'." Crane read.

"Well, it's time to go to the challenge. Let's roll, dudes!" Kida said.

Elias scanned over the treemail again and formed a smirk.

**(Temlin Tribe, Day 19)**

"_It's day 19 and even though we've all agreed that we need to work together when we reach the merge, it's obvious to me that none of us are going to be best friends." Reginald muttered. "I'm definitely not happy with the lack of power I've got, but I still think I can sneak my way past the others and get further into the game."_

Sitting at the fire pit, Reginald scanned over the tribal grounds. Marty had gone to check on treemail and the duo of Jonathan and Zoe were talking down by the beach. A thousand plans went through Reginald's head as he tried to formulate a method of going further into the game to get the better of the other members of his tribe.

"Marty and Zoe won't be any problem. Marty's not a threat and Zoe is extremely dependant on Jonathan." Reginald mused to himself. "Jonathan's the only one here I consider a threat, but Sandy is almost as strong as he is."

Slowly, a smirk floated across Reginald's face. "I definitely need the numbers at the start, but once we're in a good position, I can afford to get rid of him." He said to himself.

Standing by the beach, Jonathan looked down at Zoe. "Is he still looking at us, Zoe?" He asked.

Zoe gave a glance in Reginald's direction. "Looks like it, but he's scanning the entire tribe grounds." She replied.

"_In all honestly, Reggie's starting to scare us. We think that he's planning to backstab us, but then again that's definitely what we think he'd do." Zoe said. "He's sneaky, but the biggest problem is that I don't have any idea on how to deal with someone like him. We need to get the best of Reggie before he can do the same to us."_

Jonathan turned and saw Marty coming back over. "Did we get treemail, Marty?" He asked.

"We sure did." Marty nodded as he read the treemail. "It's hoping that we're ready for anything."

"What do you suppose it means by that?" Zoe asked.

"It could mean anything." Reginald shook his head. "We may as well head out and see what we're going to do."

**(Reward Challenge)**

Seven members of Nago stood on their mat as Sandy stood on the Temlin mat by herself. Sandy rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for her tribe to come back.

"Let's bring in the Temlin Tribe so they can join Sandy again." SSBFreak explained.

Sandy turned to greet her team, but froze when she saw that her alliance member wasn't one of the four members approaching.

"Shee'Na was voted out at the last Tribal Council." SSBFreak explained.

"Are you guys insane?!" Sandy asked.

"We should be the ones asking YOU that." Reginald said with a smirk.

Sandy looked at Marty, as if expecting an answer. Said koopa just hung his head.

SSBFreak looked at the twelve remaining players. "Everyone, you've made it halfway through the game. That in itself should feel like an accomplishment." He explained. "However, starting now, we're going to play the game a little differently."

"Wait…You mean that…" Mel said.

"Yep. We've officially made the merge." SSBFreak said with a smirk. "Everyone hand in your buffs."

With that, the majority of the remaining contestants let out a cheer, having realized that they had made the merge. The contestants removed their buffs and tossed them into a pile. After everyone had handed in their buffs, SSBFreak started handing out new buffs. These ones were black.

"As on now, all teams are officially dissolved and it's going to be a free-for-all when it comes down to the challenges." SSBFreak explained. "Individual Immunity will now allow the winner of the Immunity Challenges to be safe at the following Tribal Council." After handing out the new buffs, SSBFreak stepped back. "Now, we're going to need you guys to choose which tribe to be the new one."

Once everyone was wearing their buffs, they got into a huddle to decide where the location of their new tribe would be.

"What do people think?" D'looa asked. "We've got access to a lot of fruit."

"So do we." Jonathan replied.

"Wait. I think we should let the people whom have been at both tribes decide." Crane pointed out. "They're the ones that know what to expect."

Everyone turned to Marty, Sandy and Angie. Angie spoke first. "Temlin has a way better tribe than we do. They've got a beach and a better shelter." She explained.

"Sounds good enough for me, man." Kida grinned.

Everyone broke out of the huddle to look at SSBFreak again. "We've decided to go to the Temlin Tribe." Elias explained.

"Okay. The Temlin Tribe it is." SSBFreak nodded. "Now, your tribe needs a new name, so I want you guys to decide on a name by the next time you all see me tomorrow. When you get to your new camp, there will be a Hidden Immunity Idol somewhere on the grounds. This Idol will save you at Tribal Council, but can be used only once, so use it wisely should you find it."

SSBFreak paused as he looked at everyone, anticipating questions. When he received none, he stepped back. "Okay. You ca head back to camp." He said. "Temlin, lead the way."

**(Temlin Tribe)**

"_I made the merge! I can't believe it! I actually made the merge! And here I was thinking that I'd be out within the first few days!" Zoe cheered (the cameraman's eyes started to water at the stench). "Now maybe I have a chance to slip under the radar! Everyone will be so focused on taking out the stronger players that they'll forget all about me!"_

"Well, here we are." Jonathan shrugged as he walked into camp. "It's not much, but we're proud of what we've got."

"That is so not fair! You guys have a beach and everything!" Mel pointed out. "All we had was a lousy clearing."

"Yeah, and not only do they have a fruit stash, but they can fish at the beach and catch something else to eat." Angie nodded.

"And you haven't seen fishing until you've seen Sandy do it." Zoe added with a smirk. "Why don't you tell them how you did it, Sandy?"

The skunk girl was met with silence. Zoe turned and saw that Sandy wasn't in the crowd. "Uh…Sandy? Where'd she go?"

"Everybody, get down!" Crane ordered. "She's going to do the Tarzan thing again like she did to me!"

"There's not enough trees to do that." Elias shook his head. "She's more likely to jump out of the bushes and let out a battle cry at us."

"What was she doing to you guys over at your tribe?" Reginald asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh…I don't think you want to know." D'looa shook her head.

As it turned out, as everyone else was acting paranoid of what Sandy would do, she was actually off to the side, talking with Marty.

"Marty, what happened? Why did Shee'Na get eliminated?" Sandy asked, looking surprisingly serious.

"I don't know. Jonathan had this idea to eliminate a strong player because we were approaching the merge." Marty sighed. "I don't know what he was thinking at the time."

Sandy appeared in deep thought. "I think I may have an idea…" She noted.

"_While I was at Nago, I noticed that Elias and Angie were talking a lot and I managed to overhear something about planting ideas into someone's head." Sandy said. "Back then, I assumed that it was about someone on their team, but now that I see that Shee'Na's gone, I think that Angie may have planted the whole idea into Jonathan's head while she was here."_

Marty's eyes were wide after Sandy had told him what she had found out. "That whole thing was their fault?" He asked.

"That's what it sounds like." Sandy shook her head. "I knew that actor was bad news, but I wasn't expecting that cat to be in on it as well."

"Well, at least it gives us a target." Marty supplied. "I mean, we're two people down and unless some major conflict comes up on the Nago Tribe, we're going to get picked off one at a time."

"You mean we have to work with the rabbit?" Sandy whined.

"Just for the time being." The koopa assured. "Look, if you agree to join forces with Reggie, I'll help you construct a voodoo doll of him after this is over."

Sandy's crazy grin reappeared. "Deal!"

After the Nago Tribe members had been settled into camp, Kida saw Barney searching around the shelter. Curious, the Rilgarian girl made her way over to the strongman.

"Whatcha looking for, dude?" Kida asked. "Lose something?"

"SSBFreak said that the Hidden Immunity Idol would be here while we were at the beach." Barney explained. "I need that thing more than anyone right now."

"_There's no question that I'm the strongest one left. I'm twice as strong as the next-strongest person here." Barney admitted. "I know that I'll be a target as soon as I don't have Immunity and it doesn't help any that my team can afford a loss right now. I need to find that Idol if I want to make it any further."_

"Where do you think it could be, man?" Kida asked.

"I have no clue. SSBFreak didn't give us any clues." Barney shook his head. "Only that it was somewhere within the tribal campgrounds."

"That's not really much to go on, though." Kida rubbed her head.

"Don't I know it."

Later on, the twelve remaining contestants were sitting around a lit fire, eating fruit and fish. Needless to say, the fish was a welcome taste to the members of the Nago Tribe.

"Man. This tastes so good." Mel said with a smile. "We've been living off nothing but fruit for a while now."

"You guys definitely have it good over here." Crane nodded. "And your shelter is probably twice as good as ours was."

"I'm inclined to agree with him." Elias nodded. "How exactly were you able to make the shelter like that?"

"A few of us had a general knowhow on how to build a shelter." Reginald replied with a smirk. "Myself included."

"Shee'Na did more work on the shelter than you did." Marty muttered to himself. He was sitting far enough away from Reginald to keep the rabbit from hearing him.

"_So the rabbit thinks he's a smart player? Hmm…This could be interesting. He definitely seems crafty, but if he's as smart a player as he claims to be, I may have just found myself a rival." Elias said. "I'm going to need to keep a very close eye on him, because he seems to be the only one on Temlin who looks capable enough of putting a plan together."_

"So what do you guys think we should name the new tribe? SSBFreak wanted us to have it named by tomorrow." Jonathan asked.

"How about 'Maluna'?" Mel suggested. "It kinda rolls off the tongue."

"Doesn't have much of a ring to it." Reginald shook his head. "Anyone else?"

"Oh! I know! The 'Super Crazy Fun-Time' Tribe!" Sandy said.

Everyone stared at Sandy for a few seconds. "…Anyone else?" Reginald asked again.

"Pachinka?"

"Trilbon?"

"Sloshy?" "You're kidding, right Sandy?"

Amidst the slew of suggestions, Crane was silent, sitting in thought to himself. Mel noticed him and poked him in the shoulder. "Crane, what do you think?" She asked. "You've been pretty quiet since we started."

"Just mulling over some names and I think I've come upon a decent one." Crane shrugged. "How does 'La'nooba' sound?"

Everyone was silent, looking at each other as if expecting a response.

"I like it." D'looa supplied.

"Sounds like a good enough name." Reginald nodded. "Anyone disagree?"

No one objected to the new name and Reginald nodded again. "Very well. La'nooba it is." He said.

"_So my idea got chosen as the new tribe name. Pretty sweet deal. It makes me feel as if I'm giving some input for the team." Crane nodded in thought. "Hopefully, this will allow me to fly under the radar a bit, because out of me, Mel, Angie, Zoe and Marty, I'm the strongest. Hopefully, we'll be able to get rid of the stronger players before I get targeted."_

Soon afterwards, the fire was put out and the newly-christened La'nooba Tribe went to bed. They had a hard time fitting all twelve people into the shelter, but they managed to work it out and everyone was fast asleep, preparing for their first Individual Immunity Challenge.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 20)**

"_The Nago Tribe is in a good spot right now. They have two extra people than the Temlin Tribe and we have the ability to pick off the others one at a time." Elias said. "However, Angie and I both know that the team can also afford a loss, so I worry that they may know we're scheming something. We may need to turn the tables on the others before they can pull something off."_

"So what do you think we should do, Elias?" Angie asked. "The others will definitely dump us when the time comes."

"I know. We need to pull off something big before they can." Elias nodded before smirking. "You know what? Maybe we can benefit from joining the Temlin Tribe for a few days."

"Are you serious? What makes you think they'd vote with us?" Angie asked.

"Because they need the numbers. The rest of our tribe will be voting for one of the Temlin Tribe, and the Temlin Tribe needs us in order to gain the advantage." Elias explained. "Once we get a good chance, we'll start picking them off."

Angie paused, then nodded. "Okay. So whom do you think we should target first?" She asked.

"If anyone other than Barney wins Immunity, we'll target him." Elias explained. "If Barney wins Immunity, we'll target D'looa. She's the second-strongest person Nago has."

"Yeah. She's definitely going to be tough to beat otherwise."

Meanwhile, D'looa, Kida and Mel were sitting aside, watching the two talk. Barney was still searching around camp for the Hidden Immunity Idol and Crane was fishing down at the beach with Marty and Zoe.

"What do you think?" D'looa asked. "You think we can get rid of one of them?"

"We can definitely afford the loss." Mel pointed out. "It's clear that Elias is going to try and pull something over on us."

"So if Elias doesn't win Immunity, we vote him out?" D'looa asked.

Kida looked at Elias, then at the others. "I dunno. I think we may want to vote out one of Temlin first, dudes." She admitted. "At least it would give us some extra breathing room and stuff."

"Kida, we may not have enough time." D'looa said. "Elias may be planning to start a plan at the next Tribal Council for all we know."

"_I totally think D'looa may be jumping the gun on this. Sure, we've got a lead on the other tribe, but all it could take is a string of bad luck and we'll be behind, man." Kida sighed. "Dude, it doesn't matter how much of a lead you have. You gotta be ready for anything and I think this may come back to bite us if we take out Elias now."_

"I think we should take out Jonathan, man." Kida suggested. "He's the strongest one Temlin has now that the Klingon's gone and stuff."

"We'll target him after we get rid of Elias." D'looa replied. "Elias is too big of a threat to us all to keep in the game much longer."

Meanwhile, Reginald was walking towards the treemail box to check and see if anything had come yet. Reginald cast a sideways glance over at Elias and Angie as he walked, a few thoughts going through his head.

"Notice something interesting, bunny-boy?"

Reginald's eyes widened in surprise as he spun around and found Sandy standing in front of him, apparently having just appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't scare me, Sandy." Reginald ordered. "I'm just wondering what Elias is up to."

"Probably nothing good." Sandy piped up. "He and that cat were doing a lot of talking while I was over at the other tribe."

"He's definitely up to something, then." Reginald nodded. "So we need to come up with a way to get around whatever he's going to be planning."

"Well, we're going to need to come up with something good." Sandy shrugged. "We're down two people."

"I know that for a fact." Reginald nodded as he reached into the treemail box and pulled out a letter.

"_Elias is a real schemer, and from what I've seen and heard, he's constantly thinking up ways to get ahead." Reginald noted. "I'm not stupid. Not by a long shot. But if he should decide to join us and turn against his team, I'm going to have to look at how it's going to affect me in the long run."_

"We've got our first treemail, everyone." Reginald called out as he stepped down towards the middle of the campgrounds. Everyone else was quickly gathered around him.

"What's it say?" Mel asked.

"'Prepare for the first Individual Immunity Challenge. Be ready to do a lot of carting'." Reginald read.

"Okay! First Individual Immunity! This is awesome!" Zoe cheered, emitting another stench.

Crane made a face and turned to Marty. "How do you guys put up with it?" He asked.

"You get used to it." Marty shrugged.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The twelve contestants walked onto the beach and went over to the black mat that had been laid out in front of them. The newly-formed team approached the mat and stepped on to await instructions.

"Welcome, everyone. This is your first Individual Immunity Challenge." SSBFreak said. "Before I continue, have you guys decided on a new name for your tribe?"

"We eventually decided on 'La'nooba'." Elias explained.

SSBFreak nodded. "Okay. La'nooba Tribe, this first challenge as a merged tribe will require a lot of building. As you can see, there are a lot of piles of parts scattered around the beach here." SSBFreak explained. "You'll each be given the body of a cart containing a heavy weight, but you need to gather parts from the different piles we've provided. You'll need four wheels, two handles and a cover. After that is done, you must assemble a cart using the collected parts. Once complete, all there is left to do is pull the cart across the finish line we've placed in the middle of the clearing here. The first one to cross the finish line with a fully-assembled cart is the winner and wins Immunity for tonight's Tribal Council."

Everyone looked around and saw that there were four piles of wheels and two piles of handles.

"As you may guess, you need to grab one wheel from each of the four piles and the same goes for the handles." SSBFreak explained. "If you'll all chose a cart body, we can get this started."

The twelve contestants walked towards the line of unfinished carts and quickly chose which ones they would work with. Everyone looked at SSBFreak, awaiting orders.

"Okay. For Immunity, Survivors ready?..." SSBFreak said. "…Go!"

Everyone quickly took off, racing towards the nearest pile of parts they could find.

Mel raced past the pile of cart covers. "Save the covers for last." She told herself. "I'll grab one when I get the other parts."

Marty, on the other hand, was quick to grab a cover. It was a little awkward to carry, but Marty managed to pick it up and hauled it over to his cart.

"This thing's hard to carry." Marty grunted. "But I guess it's best if I get this out of the way first."

Angie's fast feet got her over to one of the piles of handles, which were in the form of long sticks, allowing the carts to be pulled like a rickshaw. The yellow cat plucked one of the handles from the pile and started carrying it back to her cart.

"Too bad that I can't carry two from the same pile." Angie shook her head. "These things are easy to carry."

By the time, Angie had made it back to the line of carts, Marty had just managed to attach the cover to his cart. At the same time, Jonathan and Barney had each managed to return with one of the needed wheels.

"How do they expect us to carry four of these things?" Jonathan shook his head. "Are these chariot wheels or something?"

Barney, on the other hand, wasn't tired in the least and was already jogging off to the next pile of wheels. "They're not THAT heavy." He mused to himself.

Zoe arrived at the second pile of handles and quickly picked one of them up (she had already gathered the first handle). Turning around, the shunk girl ran off excitedly, leaving a cloud of putrid stench hovering over the remaining handles, which Crane promptly ran over to. However, the instant the rudie was over the pile, he caught a whiff of the smell Zoe had left behind and held his nose as he gingerly reached into the pile and pulled out a handle.

"Good grief, that stinks…" Crane muttered as he turned and raced back towards his cart. "Why does that girl have to be so easily-excited?!"

D'looa grunted as she managed to lift her second wheel into the air. It was definitely heavier than she had expected, but still manageable for someone of her strength. D'looa staggered back to her cart, only to see Barney passing her with his second wheel. "How the heck is he not sowing down?" She asked.

Sandy and Kida arrived at the pile of covers at the same time and they each grabbed the same cover. When they saw that they were each holding onto a cover, they narrowed their eyes at each other.

"Back off, lady. This one's mine." Sandy said.

"We touched it at the same time, dude." Kida replied as she tried to yank the cover from Sandy (it wasn't working). "It's just as much mine as it is yours."

Mel sneaked around the two and picked up one of the other covers for herself. "You realize that we're each going to get one of these, right?" She quizzed as she rushed back to her cart.

Sandy and Kida paused, then looked at each other for a few seconds. They promptly let go of the cover and grabbed different ones, leaving the one they were fighting over behind in the end.

Barney quickly reached his third pile of wheels and grabbed the first one he could find. He passed Elias, whom was coming back with his second wheel.

"This is just ridiculous." Elias muttered. "He's not even looking tired."

Barney arrived at his cart and quickly put the third wheel on. So far, only he, Elias, Marty and D'looa were attaching parts to their cart as they went. Everyone else was simply dumping the parts into a pile for use once they had collected everything.

"Okay. I need one more wheel, both handles and the cover." Barney said as he rushed off to the only wheel pile he hadn't visited yet.

Marty groaned as he managed to put his second wheel onto the cart. He had only managed to get two wheels and the cover thus far, but was still managing to stay in the game.

"Man. Is the nearest wheel pile seriously THAT far away?" Marty moaned as he raced off towards another pile of wheels to get his third wheel.

D'looa came back and loaded one of the handles onto the cart. She had managed to find two wheels and one handle thus far, but she was starting to slow down.

"Where the heck do I go now?" D'looa asked herself before running off in a random direction.

Crane eyed Jonathan as he collected his first wheel. The older man, after collecting his first wheel, was collecting the lighter objects first as a method of saving energy. Deciding to focus on the task at hand, Crane raced back to his cart, or at least as fast as he could carrying a heavy wheel.

Everyone was pretty neck-in-neck for the most part as the challenge went on. However, it was clear that Barney was pulling ahead due to not feeling tired carrying the heavy wheels.

Kida had collected all of the pieces to her cart and was slowly managing to piece it all together. Most of the other contestants were like that as well, but Kida was managing to pass the group by working a little faster.

"Now I just need to catch up to the others and stuff."Kida told herself as she attached the two handles to her cart at once.

Elias growled as he furiously worked to assemble his cart. "Why won't these handles fit?! I'm positive I'm putting them in right!" He asked himself.

Zoe looked to her left and sighed. "There's no way I'm going to win. He's just too far ahead of me." She lamented.

Barney grinned as he attached the cover to his cart. He quickly scanned over it to make sure it was put together properly. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed the handles and started pulling the cart. Everyone watched as Barney raced over the finish line twenty yards away from the starting point, easily finishing the challenge.

"The challenge is over! Barney wins Immunity!" SSBFreak called out.

Barney dropped the handles and cheered loudly. Some of the others cheered for him, but a few of the contestants didn't look very thrilled.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Barney. You've won the first Individual Immunity Challenge and are presented with the Immunity Necklace for tonight." SSBFreak said as he handed Barney a colourful necklace.

"Sweet. I really need this." Barney nodded as SSBFreak looked at everyone else.

"Barney is safe tonight, but you will all be voting someone off at Tribal Council." SSBFreak said. "I'll give you the rest of the day to strategize, but be sure that you come to Tribal Council at the normal time." Stepping back, SSBFreak placed his hands behind his back. "You can all head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_I needed this. I needed this SO badly. If I didn't win Immunity, I'd definitely be going home tonight." Barney said, sighing in relief. "Now that I'm safe tonight, I can talk with the others on who we'll be voting out. From the looks of things, it's going to be Elias, but I'm fine with that. I agree that there's definitely something about that guy that rubs me the wrong way."_

"So I think we all agree that Elias needs to go?" D'looa asked the group on Crane, Mel, Barney and Kida.

Everyone except Kida agreed. "I still don't like this plan, man." She admitted. "I totally think we should vote for Jonathan."

"Jonathan may be the stronger player, but Elias is smarter." D'looa replied.

"We can put up with Jonathan for three more days if it means getting rid of the guy that could potentially bring us all down." Crane added.

"We're ahead of the other team by two people anyway, Kida." Mel pointed out. "We can afford to lose him."

"But…What if we run into a bunch of bad luck, dudes? What if we find ourselves BEHIND the others?" Kida asked. "If you ask me, we still need the numbers."

"Kida, we need your cooperation on this." Barney said, placing a hand on Kida's shoulder. "If we don't take Elias out now, we'll regret it later."

"_I am SO against this, man! I keep telling everyone that we still need the numbers, but they're just not listening to me!" Kida said. "What do I have to do to get them to agree with me on this?!"_

"_Kida needs to realize that if we don't get rid of Elias now, it'll come back to bite us later." D'looa explained, arms folded. "I know she's a nice person, but if you play too nice, emotions can get in the way and it'll end up costing you. I'm still not sure if Kida's quite on the ball with that."_

"Hey, Elias?" Mel said as she broke away from the group and walked over to the approaching actor. "You up for voting out Jonathan?"

Elias paused, then nodded. "He's definitely the strongest one on their tribe at the moment." He admitted. "Getting rid of him now could make things easier for us in the future."

"Can you relay the message on to Angie?"

"Sure."

"_Do I feel guilty about lying to Elias in that we'd be voting out Jonathan? Not as much as I thought I'd be." Mel shrugged. "He's been asking for this elimination and I'm sure the others will be glad to give it to him."_

Elias and Angie approached the Temlin group of Reginald, Marty, Sandy, Jonathan and Zoe to tell them the plan. "It's official. They're voting for Jonathan." Elias explained.

"And…Why are you telling us this?" Reginald asked.

"Because we're not voting with them." Angie replied with a smirk. "Elias and I would be willing to vote out D'looa if you guys are with us."

Marty did a duble-take. "You'd seriously backstab your own tribe?" The koopa asked.

"They'll be targeting us anyway after they get a comfortable lead on you guys." Elias shrugged. "I figure that if we can take out enough of them, it would put us in the lead over them."

Reginald appeared to be in thought, then nodded. "Okay. Sounds like an idea. It'll give us a slight edge over the others." He replied.

"Good to hear that you're all up for it." Elias nodded. "So we'll vote out D'looa at Tribal Council."

With that, Elias and Angie turned and walked off. However, once they had their backs turned and were walking away, Reginald smirked.

**(Tribal Council)**

The twelve contestants walked into Tribal Council, holding their respective torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start talking.

"Welcome to your first Tribal Council as a merged tribe, La'nooba. I'm sure that you all know the drill." SSBFreak explained. "You'll all vote one at a time for the person you want out of the game and the person with the most votes will be eliminated." Scanning the crowd, SSBFreak set his eyes on Barney. "Barney, do you feel that you would be in danger if you didn't win the challenge?" He asked.

Barney laughed. "You kidding? I'm the strongest one left in the game." He replied. "I need this if I want to win the whole thing."

"Angie, back on day 6, you were a target for getting voted out, and here you are at the merge. Are you surprised that you made the merge?"

"After that particular Tribal Council, I knew that I needed to change my game plan." Angie shrugged. "It's gotten me to the merge, so I think it should take me even further into the game."

"D'looa, is this going to turn into a game of Nago vs. Temlin even though that you're all in one tribe?"

"It definitely looks that way." D'looa replied. "I mean, we've got a comfortable lead on the Temlin Tribe. What's stopping us from picking them off one at a time until it's just the seven of us left in the game?"

"So it's going to be a unanimous vote for you guys?"

"I don't know. We've got a sneak on our team and there's been a few disagreements on our side, so I just hope it works out in our favour after the vote." D'looa nodded.

"Jonathan, how are things over on your half of the tribe?" SSBFreak asked.

"Not that good. The bunch of us haven't exactly been the best of friends as of late." Jonathan shook his head. "I think that we'd be picking each other off if we didn't need the numbers. We know that we've got to work together if we want to avoid elimination here."

"Reginald, do you agree?"

"I don't agree with Jonathan a lot, but I definitely do here. At first I thought the conflict was between me and him, but as of late, Marty seems to have been pulled into the mix as well." Reginald replied. "I can't imagine why."

"You voted out Shee'Na." Marty replied simply, not making eye contact with the rabbit. "I worked my butt off to gain her trust again and you guys vote her off as soon as I do."

Reginald rolled his eyes. "Fantastic reason. Look, Shee'Na was a threat and we were coming up to the merge." He replied.

"Before we start, I have to ask." SSBFreak said. "Barney, will you be giving someone your Immunity Necklace tonight?"

"No. I need this, man." Barney shook his head.

"This means that Barney is immune and cannot be voted out. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Zoe, you're up."

Zoe nodded and left the hut, approaching the voting table. She wrote down a name and placed it into the voting urn.

Crane smirked as he wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "I don't know what you're planning, but it's about to backfire." He said, having voted for Elias.

Angie walked up to the voting table and voted. She placed her vote into the urn and left the table just as quickly as she had come.

D'looa walked up to the table, not bothering to think about her decision. She quickly wrote down a name and placed her vote into the urn.

Marty approached the table, a little nervous about the outcome of the vote. Still, he wrote down the name quickly and left the table.

Biting her lip in hesitation, Kida wrote down a name and shoved it into the jar before she could second-guess herself.

Mel walked up to the table and scribbled a name onto her ballot. The tech geek placed her vote into the urn and left the table.

A smirking Reginald wrote down a name and placed it into the jar. The rabbit left the table, smirking the entire way back to the hut.

Barney, still wearing the necklace, approached the table and wrote down a name, placing it into the urn to finalize his choice.

Elias wrote showed the camera his ballot, revealing D'looa's name. "Hopefully, this will prove that I'm in control of the game." He said as he placed the vote into the urn.

After approaching the table, Jonathan wrote down a name. Double-checking to make sure he had voted for the right person, Jonathan put the vote into the jar.

"Hmm…I wonder what my vote would look like if I wrote the name with my other hand." Sandy mused before writing down a name using her left hand. The vote was still readable, so Sandy placed it into the jar.

After all twelve people had voted, SSBFreak went to fetch the urn. He eventually came back with it under his arm.

"Once I read the votes, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." SSBFreak said. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; D'looa." D'looa raised and eyebrow, then looked at the Temlin Tribe suspiciously.

"D'looa." D'looa looked calm, but she was extremely worried on the inside.

"Jonathan. That's two votes for D'looa and one for Jonathan." Jonathan, for some reason, didn't look very surprised.

"…Elias" This caught Elias by surprise. The actor stared in surprise, wondering where that vote had come from.

"Elias." Elias' eyes widened behind his shades.

"Angie." This took everyone on the Nago Tribe by surprise. They all looked at each other before looking at the Temlin Tribe.

"Angie. That's two votes for D'looa, Elias and Angie and one for Jonathan." Angie bit her lip.

"Angie." Angie's eyes widened.

"Elias." The actor couldn't believe what was happening.

"Angie." Elias and Angie looked at each other, realizing that they had been played by both sides of the tribe.

"Elias. That's four votes for Elias and Angie, two for D'looa and one for Jonathan." Now everyone was interested in seeing the outcome. They all waited intently for the final vote to be read. "Final vote, seventh person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub and first member of our jury…"

"…Angie. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said, showing a poorly-scribbled vote (Sandy's vote which she had written with her left hand).

Angie looked back and forth between SSBFreak and a surprised Elias before finally standing up. "Wow. I can't believe it ended like this." She said as she grabbed her torch and walked over to SSBFreak, whom was holding the snuffer in his hands.

"Angie, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Angie's torch. "It's time for you to go."

Angie left Tribal Council silently, waving to the others (but mainly Elias) on her way out.

Once Angie was gone, SSBFreak looked at the rest of the tribe. "And so ends the first merged Tribal Council. From what the votes say, the tribe isn't exactly divided. So I think that this could become very interesting very quickly." SSBFreak explained. "There are still eleven of you left, so I know for a fact that things will definitely start getting harder from here on in. You can all head back to camp."

Everyone stood up, collected their torches and left Tribal Council. Elias brought up the rear, eyes narrowed behind his shades. He couldn't believe that everyone else in the game had played him for the fool, but now he knew that he couldn't trust anybody. The entire way back to camp, Elias was thinking up serious plans to pick everyone else off one at a time.

"_Uh…Wow. I can't believe that just happened. Elias and I were definitely planning on betraying the Nago Tribe, but it seems that the Temlin Tribe was just as determined to go further." Angie admitted. "I think that I could have gone all the way using my original strategy if I wasn't on such a paranoid team. They caught on to my strategy way too early and it ended up costing me the game. Well, that's the way the ball rolls, I guess."_

**Voting History:**

**Angie – Reginald, Jonathan, Zoe, Marty and Sandy**

**Elias – D'looa, Barney, Mel and Crane**

**D'looa – Elias and Angie**

**Jonathan – Kida**

_Author's Notes: Angie was originally planned to last a little longer, but as I was writing, I saw that this would probably be a better place to dump her. It wouldn't have mattered where she got eliminated anyway, because she would have remained as Elias' sidekick even if she DID last any longer._


	9. Days 21 to 22

**(La'Nooba Tribe)**

"_My plan to get ahead and win this game just hit a major snag. My only real ally in the game just got voted out, and from the votes, even the others on my own tribe voted for either her or me." Elias shook his head. "I honestly thought I'd be able to play these people a lot easier, but I suppose it's not going to be that simple."_

"I thought the plan was to pick off D'looa!" Elias snapped at the Temlin Tribe once the other members of Nago were off to the side of the tribal grounds. "Do you even realize that we could have put them at a disadvantage?!"

Reginald smirked. "If I recall correctly, they still ARE at a disadvantage because Angie was on your team." He replied. "You can't pull the wool over my eyes, pal. I knew that you were planning something."

"I put my trust in you lot to put one over on the others and vote out the biggest threat available." Elias pointed out, jabbing Reginald in the chest. "And you thank me by taking out my ally?!"

"If we left her alone long enough, you and her may have turned on us, because we know that you're capable of that." Jonathan added. "I suggest that you at least be thankful that someone on the other side voted for me, otherwise you and Angie would have tied."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, the others on the Nago Tribe were talking with one of their own about a wonky vote themselves.

"Why did you vote for Jonathan, Kida?" Mel asked. "We know that you were the one that did."

"_I voted for Jonathan because I thought we still needed the extra number. Unfortunately, the others didn't see it that way and stuff." Kida sighed. "I know Elias isn't trustworthy, especially since he voted for D'looa, but we still need the numbers. I totally think we should get rid of him when we have a comfortable lead, but we're only one person ahead now."_

"I just thought Jonathan was a bigger threat." Kida shrugged.

"You can't be serious." Crane said flatly. "Elias is definitely planning to stab us all in the back."

"Totally. If the Temlin Tribe didn't vote for Angie, D'looa may have been eliminated." Barney added.

"Look, Kida. We need your full support here." D'looa said. "If we're going to stick with getting rid of the other tribe and Elias, you need to trust us and vote with us."

Kida sighed, then nodded.

"Good to see that we've got an agreement." Crane nodded back. "It's getting late, so I say we go to sleep and prepare for tomorrow."

"Yeah. Looks like the other tribe has already gone into the shelter." Mel pointed out, seeing that the Temlin Tribe was no longer around the campsite.

The others agreed and decided to go to bed, not knowing what the next day would bring.

**(La'Nooba Tribe, Day 21)**

Zoe emerged from the shelter and looked around. Other than Sandy doing a strange dance by the fire pit, everything seemed normal. Making a mental note to avoid Elias and Reginald, the skunk girl orked her way around camp until she spotted Barney searching around a bunch of trees, most-likely for the Hidden Immunity Idol he had been searching for.

"You still looking for the idol, Barney?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah. Still nothing." Barney shook his head. "I feel that I've looked everywhere in the camp for it."

"Uh…You sure you haven't found it?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be searching for it if I had it."

"_Barney isn't the only one who's been searching for the idol. I've been looking for it as well, but I can't find it." Zoe pointed out. "This seems to tell me that Barney may have already found the idol and is just playing along to make us think that he doesn't have it. It's just something that we won't know about unless he pulls it out at Tribal Council."_

Deciding to leave Barney to his searching (she had already searched that area, anyway), Zoe wandered over to Jonathan and Marty, whom were at the beach.

"Barney's still searching for the idol." Zoe explained. "If you ask me, I think he's already found it."

"You think he's just leading us on?" Jonathan asked.

Zoe shrugged. "It's possible." She admitted.

"So where does that leave us?" Marty asked. "If we vote for him when he doesn't have Immunity, he may pull out the idol and one of us may get the boot."

"It's definitely a risky situation, but it's a chance we may be forced to take." Jonathan shook his head.

"_We're in a very risky situation. We've all been searching the tribe grounds for the idol, but none of us have been able to find it yet." Jonathan admitted. "If Barney's so intent on finding that thing, he'd probably have found it by now."_

Meanwhile, Mel had just emerged from the shelter, looking somewhat tired. Looking around the tribe for Crane, the technician suddenly spotted Reginald by the fire pit, where Sandy was still dancing around. Suddenly reminded of something she had been thinking, Mel made her way over.

"_It's clearly obvious that Elias is a stronger player than Angie, and yet the Temlin Tribe voted for her over him." Mel noted, looking confused. "I was curious as to why that happened. By all figures, Elias should have been the one voted out. I saw Reginald and decided to ask him since he appears to be the self-proclaimed leader of that tribe."_

Reginald was sitting at the fire pit, as if waiting for Sandy to get a fire started. As Sandy continued to do a strange dance around the pit, Reginald saw Mel coming over. Deciding to see what the girl wanted, Reginald looked her way.

"I take it you wanted to ask me something?" Reginald asked.

"Uh…For starters, what's Sandy doing?" Mel asked.

"My Lithuanian Fire Dance." Sandy replied casually. "If I can call upon the Fire Elementals, they will grant me with the power of fire for entertaining them."

"Sandy, we HAVE flint." Mel reminded.

Sandy paused, blinked a few times, looked at Mel, then rushed off.

"Anyways, to my question. My tribe's been talking and we can't figure out why you guys decided to vote off Angie and not Elias." Mel said. "I mean, you're smart. You should know that he's way stronger than her."

"I know, but none of you seem to like Elias that much and are willing to get rid of him. The votes last night proved my theory." Reginald said as he folded his arms. "You guys wouldn't join up with Elias again. That much I know. However, Angie may still have been able to weasel her way back into your group."

"So you eliminated her to put Elias off on his own because no one will take him in." Mel realized.

"My. Maybe YOU'RE the smart one of Nago." Reginald chuckled. "Yes. You're indeed correct."

"_Taking out Elias' side-kick may not have seemed like a smart move, but in the long run it could prove to be beneficial." Reginald said. "Now Elias is powerless and we can actually take him in, but he won't be able to do anything to stab us in the back. If you ask me, I think it was the better option."_

As the day went on, it became obvious that there wasn't going to be a challenge that day, so everyone took the time to relax around the tribe, search for the hidden idol or put some plans together.

Jonathan eventually found D'looa sitting at the beach, gazing out at the sun (which was starting to set). Curiosity getting the better of him, Jonathan wandered over.

"What's up, D'looa?" The brown-haired man asked.

"Just admiring the view." D'looa replied with a smile. "Some sight, isn't it?"

"You don't get to look at a view like this?" Jonathan asked.

"I grew up on Tatooine. I don't exactly get to look at this much water on an everyday basis." D'looa replied.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "But…You're a jedi, aren't you?" He asked. "Don't those guys travel everywhere?"

"When you're a jedi, you can't really stop to smell the roses when you're fighting the Empire." D'looa shook her head.

"_I have to admit that D'looa is an interesting girl. I mean, the fact that she can speak English alone is pretty unusual for a Twi'lek." Jonathan explained. "She's definitely a girl I want to find out more about…" Jonathan's eyes widened in realization. "N-Not in that way, I assure you. I've heard her say that she's got a boyfriend back home."_

"Mind if I join you?"

D'looa paused. "How do I know you're not just leading me on?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm not Reginald." Jonathan replied simply.

D'looa paused again, then shrugged. "Sure. Sit down." She nodded.

Elias was watching the two from afar, silently munching on a fruit. He appeared to be in deep thought, although no one was paying attention to him.

"_Jonathan seems to be acting friendly to D'looa. This could actually be a good thing, because we may be able to learn a few things about the other tribe." Elias explained. "I intend to rejoin my tribe when I get them whittled down enough to need me, so a little extra information would definitely help us overpower the Temlin Tribe."_

Kida was inspecting a tree to see if she could find the Hidden Immunity Idol. Barney was taking a break and Kida was searching through areas that the strongman had already gone through to see if he had bypassed anything.

"Maybe the tree is hollow…" Kida mused as she gave the tree a quick knock. She shook her head. "No. It ain't in that one."

The Rilgarian scanned the tribe grounds at everyone scattered around. However, it didn't look like anyone was looking for the idol at the moment, so Kida figured that she was in the clear for a little bit.

However, during her search, Kida tripped over something and landed face-first into the sand. Thinking that she had stumbled upon the idol, Kida looked back hopefully, only to see that she had tripped over Marty, whom was digging in the sand.

"Holy crap! Are you okay?" Marty asked.

"Yeah. I just thought I had found the idol and stuff." Kida sighed. "What are you doing, dude?"

"I'm digging to see if I can find it." Marty explained. "Barney didn't dig anywhere, so it's gotta be somewhere under the sand."

"Dude, look at the size of the camp. Digging up the place would take the entire competition to do." Kida pointed out.

"I know, but it's all I can think of."

"_The little dude's got a good heart and all, but I dunno some of the things he's thinking. He honestly thinks that that idol is buried somewhere in the sand of our tribe?" Kida asked. "He's totally not gonna find the idol that way, and I don't think he even knows that. But hey, it keeps him busy while someone else finds the idol."_

A little later, the sun had just set and the idol still hadn't been found. However, people could hear Jonathan laughing from the beach. He and D'looa were apparently still talking.

"Are you serious?" Jonathan laughed. "A Jawa jedi?!"

D'looa chuckled. "Yeah. I have to admit that it was funny when we found him, but he's definitely one of the most agile jedi I've ever seen." She said. "I couldn't count the times he's saved our behinds on both my hands."

"I still think it would be strange to see a Jawa jumping around with a lightsaber." Jonathan shook his head.

Barney watched the two talk from the fire pit. "I wonder why D'looa's talking with Jonathan." He pondered.

"Maybe she just enjoys the different company after living with us for the last twenty days." Mel suggested.

"That may be so, but I just hope that she doesn't give away any secrets while talking to him." Crane shook his head.

Sandy, leaning back and whistling as she whittled away on a piece of wood with a stone, chuckled. "You guys should be glad she ain't talking to Reggie." She noted. "He'd find a way to make her spill secrets faster than you can say 'sweatsock' 147 times fast."

Barney, Mel and Crane looked at each other before deciding to ignore Sandy.

"_I can appreciate the fact that D'looa has someone different to talk to, but this could be a real problem for us. She could give away some of our secrets if she gets too comfortable around Jonathan." Crane noted. "On the other hand, this could give us a little bit of an advantage if D'looa can get Jonathan to spill a few secrets. It could go either way, but it's pretty much all on D'looa's shoulders right now."_

Eventually, night came around. The eleven contestants decided to go to bed because they knew that there was a challenge the following day and they needed to be ready for it.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 22)**

Everyone was up early, everyone with the same goal in mind: Finding the hidden idol. The entire tribe was turning the grounds inside out looking for the idol, but so far wasn't having much luck. The most determined one was still Barney, and everyone else knew that.

"_We're all looking for the idol, but Barney's been searching harder than any of us. He knows that he needs that idol more than anyone, because he's the biggest threat out here." Reginald said. "The only thing that worries me is that we're all looking for the idol and no one's finding it. One of us could have already found it, and quite frankly, that worries me."_

Barney was indeed searching as hard as he could, starting to look frustrated. He was currently searching around a bunch of trees, one that he had apparently already searched in the past.

"This is making me mad. I must have searched through the grounds twice by now." Barney muttered.

"If you haven't found it by now, I don't think you're going to find it." Reginald shrugged, having given up his search. "The majority of us have already stopped looking."

"Hey, I need that thing." Barney explained, not stopping his search. "With most of the others stopping their search, I figure that they want me to have it because they like me."

"Yeah. Letting the strongman find the idol." Reginald rolled his eyes. "Highly unlikely, but I wouldn't put it past the others."

"So why did you stop?"

"I've been looking for the idol since waking up and haven't found it yet." Reginald shook his head. "I figured that if I haven't found it by now, I'm not going to find it at all."

"_Reginald is definitely the schemer of Temlin, and the way he gave his answer made me wonder if he already found the idol." Barney said. "Man, if he's had it this entire time, then all of my searching would have been for nothing. All I can do is hope that he was lying and is trying to lead me on, so I may still have a chance at finding the idol."_

Crane, one of the contestants still searching, was searching through a bush for the idol, thinking that it may have been hidden there. Once again coming up with nothing, Crane backed away and paused in thought.

"This could take a while. The idol's somewhere on the grounds, but where?" Crane pondered. He ended up looking down at the beach. "Marty was digging yesterday. Maybe I should start…"

Crane got down on his hands and knees and started sifting through the sand. However, as he did, a familiar black-haired woman rose up from behind a separate bush, although only her eyes and nose were visible.

"…You have disturbed the dirt…" Sandy whispered.

Crane paused, then looked at the newcomer. "Uh…What?" He asked.

"**YOU HAVE DISTURBED THE DIRT!!!"** Sandy screamed as she jumped out into the open and shooed Crane away from the area he was digging, making the rudie jump back in shock.

"What's you problem?!" Crane asked.

Sandy paused, then looked at Crane. "A problem?...I have a problem?" She asked. "Great. Why am I always the last one to know?"

With that, the crazy woman sighed and walked off, leaving Crane sitting on the beach, wondering what had just happened.

"_But…I just…What's…I was…She…You know what? I've stopped trying to understand Sandy, so I may as well not bother." Crane sighed. "No one in his right mind would be able to read her, and I'm sure that she'd take that as a compliment."_

"_That crazy woman is up to something, and that bothers me because she's the only one on the Temlin Tribe I can't read." Elias said. "She always seems to appear out of nowhere at the least-likely of times. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that she's a strategic mastermind."_

_The confession camera showed Sandy sitting on a rock, arms folded, legs crossed and fast asleep. Despite the fact that she was obviously out like a light, she wasn't toppling over and remained asleep. She muttered "N-No, mommy…I…I wanna buy the…Weegee doll…" in her sleep._

Meanwhile, Zoe was wandering up to the treemail box, in deep thought. She was honestly thinking about a number of things, and wasn't sure which one was the loudest thought of all. Deciding that she'd think about it later, the skunk girl continued up to the treemail box and opened it, looking in.

"Hey! Treemail!" Zoe said, forgetting about her thoughts, if only for a moment. Excitedly grabbing the letter, Zoe raced back to the tribe, leaving a trail of stench as she ran.

Elias sniffed the air. "Zoe's excited again. We've probably got treemail again." He mused to himself.

"We have treemail!" Zoe cheered, waving the letter in the air as she ran over. Everyone quickly gathered around the skunk girl.

"What's it say, Zoe?" Mel asked. "What type of challenge is it?"

"It doesn't say." Zoe shook her head before reading. "'Follow the directions and prepare for the next challenge. We hope that you have a good 'balance' of skills for this challenge'."

"A balancing challenge, maybe?" Jonathan shrugged.

"That seems to be the most-likely answer." Mel added.

"Well, we don't want to keep him waiting. We may as well go and get this started."

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The eleven contestants walked onto the beach and stepped over to the black mat sitting on the ground. Once everyone was on the mat, they waited for the host to start talking.

"Welcome to your second Immunity Challenge as a merged tribe, La'nooba. This challenge will show everyone just how much balance you have." SSBFreak said as he jerked his thumb towards the water, where everyone saw eleven platforms sitting just above the water. "The object, to be plain and simple, is to stay on top of the platforms for as long as possible. The platforms are only big enough to hold one person, so too much movement can cause you to fall into the water. The last person standing wins Immunity and will be safe from elimination at tonight's Tribal Council."

Everyone looked at each other, realizing that the task wouldn't be playing on anyone's strengths and it was quite literally anyone's game.

"If you'll all go out into the water and climb onto a platform, we can start the game." SSBFreak explained.

**(Later…)**

The eleven contestants were standing on the platforms, all of them ready for the challenge to start. SSBFreak stood on the dock (which was still sporting a hole in it from Sandy's sledgehammer at the start of the game) about nine feet away from the platforms.

"Okay, let's get this underway." SSBFreak nodded. "The challenge will start now."

Several people eyed each other as they stood on the platforms, trying to keep their balance. People like Mel, Kida and Reginald simply looked at their feet and tried to block everything else out.

Time went by extremely slowly for everyone as the minutes crept by. Before anyone had realized it, a half an hour had passed and everyone was still standing. SSBFreak decided to start asking questions.

"Everyone's still standing and been been going or thirty minutes." SSBFreak explained. "How are you holding up, Barney?"

"I could stay up here all day." Barney replied simply.

"Anything to say to that, Sandy?"

The wild woman grinned insanely. "Bring it on, big guy." She replied. "I was forced to spend a full day up a pine tree, so I know everything about balance."

"Kida, you've done nothing but look at your feet for the last thirty minutes. Why is that?"

"If I look at my feet, I'll totally be able to stay up here longer." Kida replied. "And I'm definitely sure that I'm not the only one doing this strategy."

"What's going through your mind, Reggie?"

"Reginald!" Reginald shouted, still not taking his eyes off his feet. "The thing that's going through my mind right now is how much I hate challenges like these."

The eleven contestants remained on the platforms for another thirty minutes and everyone was still standing, although a few people were starting to tire out. Even still, everyone tried to go on as long as they could.

"Okay, everyone. We've been here an hour and no one's dropped out, yet." SSBFreak said. "Elias, what's going through your head right now?"

"I'm mentally cursing and hoping that people start dropping out." Elias muttered. "I can't stay standing still forever."

"You getting tired yet, Marty?"

"My legs are starting to feel numb, but it's nothing I can't handle." Marty shook his head.

"Zoe, do you think you can win this?"

"I don't know. I have good stamina, but there are a few others that just seem determined to win."

SSBFreak waited for a few more minutes before deciding to bring out the big guns. "Okay. Time to speed things up a bit." He said as a cart was wheeled onto the deck. "If three people drop out now, I'll give each of them a steak."

SSBFreak removed the covers on the cart, revealing large steaks that looked freshly-cooked.

"I call dibs!" Jonathan said as he jumped into the water.

Elias' stomach growled. He tried to hold it in, but he eventually gave in to his hunger. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered as he jumped into the water.

Kida's mouth started watering. "Dude, I am SO there!" She said as she jumped off her platform and swam over to the dock.

"Okay. Jonathan, Elias and Kida are all out." SSBFreak explained as the three climbed onto the dock and grabbed their steaks. "There are eight of you left, but only one can win Immunity."

SSBFreak looked straight at one of the contestants. "Barney, you guys have been standing up there for more than an hour. How does that feel?" He asked.

"I don't know. I'm honestly just focusing on trying to stay up here longer than the others." Barney replied.

"D'looa, you've noticed that we're offered food to those who drop out at specific times." SSBFreak explained. "You think you'd take the bait?"

"Only if I knew that I wasn't a target and it was something I REALLY wanted." D'looa shook her head. "I'm positive that everyone else feels the same."

Another half an hour passed and people started to look drained. SSBFreak took this as his cue and went over to the cart again.

"Okay. If two people drop out now, I'll give each one this." SSBFreak said as he lifted the covers. "A large vegetable stir-fry, which includes three types of mushrooms."

Jonathan, sitting on the dock, raised an eyebrow. "You think people would actually go for-" He started to ask.

"I can't take it. That stuff is SO mine." Marty said as he jumped into the water.

"Wait for me, Marty!" Mel called out as she jumped in after him.

"Marty and Mel are out." SSBFreak explained. "Come and get your stir-fry, guys."

Kida smirked and looked at Jonathan. "You were saying, dude?" She asked.

"Why did you two make the jump for the vegetables?" Elias asked as Marty and Mel received their reward.

"I haven't had a good mushroom since we started, and this stuff has three types." Marty said as he bit into a mushroom in his stir-fry. He moaned happily. "Oh, that's so amazing."

"I'm a vegetarian." Mel replied with a shrug. "No one really eats a lot of meat where I come from."

The remaining six contestants stayed on the platforms for another thirty minutes, bringing the total time to two hours. Needless to say, people were starting to tire out.

"Crane, what are you thinking?" SSBFreak asked.

"How much I freaking hate this challenge." Crane replied.

"Sandy, how are you holding up? You've been standing for two hours."

"Really? Boy, time sure flies when you're having fun, eh?" Sandy asked with a grin. D'looa, Barney, Zoe, Reginald and Crane all glared at her.

"I think it's about time to bring out another reward." SSBFreak said as he approached the cart again. "If two more people drop out, they'll each get a pizza."

SSBFreak lifted the covers, revealing two pizzas, loaded with assorted toppings and looking freshly-baked.

"That's my cue." D'looa said as she jumped into the water.

Barney had been struggling to stay on the platform for a long time, but his legs finally buckled from underneath him, sending the strongman tumbling into the water unwillingly.

"D'looa and Barney are both out." SSBFreak said. "Come and get your pizza, guys."

Barney sighed and followed D'looa over to the docks, looking disappointed.

"We're down to four people. Reginald, Crane, Sandy and Zoe." SSBFreak said. "You guys still think you can win?"

No one made the move to answer SSBFreak, as they were trying as hard as they could to keep their legs from caving in.

Another thirty minutes passed and all four of the remaining contestants looked ready to give up. SSBFreak looked at the strained faces on all of them and smirked. "Looks like we're in the final leg of the challenge after going strong for two and a half hours." He said. "Zoe, are you surprised to see yourself still in?"

Zoe gave a shrug. "I know I'm not that strong. I've just got a lot of determination." She replied.

"Crane, will you persevere and outlast the others?"

"I'm going to try as hard as I can." Crane shook his head. "I think we're all on even ground."

"Well, I've got the final reward here that should finish the challenge." SSBFreak said. "If three people jump, they'll get a large cake to share between them."

SSBFreak uncovered a large cake, which was clearly big enough for three people to share equally.

Zoe blinked a couple of times. "I'm not a target, anyway." She said as she jumped off her platform.

Crane looked at the cake and sighed. "I agree." He said as he followed Zoe into the water.

Reginald and Sandy looked at each other, realizing that they were the last two left. Sandy thought that Reginald would be daring her to jump into the water first.

However, that wasn't the case.

"You win." Reginald sighed in defeat as he jumped into the water.

"Zoe, Crane and Reginald are out!" SSBFreak announced. "Sandy wins Immunity!"

Sandy cheered and did a backflip off her platform, landing in the water.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Sandy. You managed to outlast the others and win Immunity." SSBFreak said as he handed Sandy the Immunity Necklace.

"Freakin' awesome." Sandy grinned as SSBFreak turned to the others.

"Sandy is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing all of you at Tribal Coucil, where you'll be voting someone off." SSBFreak explained. "I'll give you the rest of the day to strategize with your alliances as to whom will be getting the boot. You can all head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Oh, yeah! Who won Immunity? I won Immunity! I can't believe that I could win something so valuable just by standing on a platform for two and a half hours!" Sandy said with a grin. "If I would be able to win things like this doing such mundane tasks back where I come from, I'd be a freakin' millionare!"_

"So I think it should be obvious who we're voting for." Reginald said with a smirk.

"Barney?" Marty checked.

"Right. He doesn't have Immunity, so this may be the only chance we have to vote him off." Reginald nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. It'll be wise to get rid of the super-strong guy now." Sandy nodded as she used her shirt to polish the Immunity Necklace she had won.

"There's just one problem with this plan."Jonathan pointed out. "We're still outnumbered and the Nago Tribe will probably keep Barney for numbers."

Zoe's face fell. "Oh, yeah. That's right. How are we going to do this?" She asked.

Reginald paused in thought. "That may be true, but we still have a trump card we can play on them." He explained.

"_I still don't like teaming up with Reggie, because I know for a fact that he's going to try something eventually." Zoe shook her head. "Unfortunately, we need him for numbers, so we can't really do anything about it right now."_

Meanwhile, the Nago Tribe was across the camp, discussing their votes for the upcoming Tribal Council.

"So which one do we vote for?" D'looa asked. "Should we still vote for Elias?"

"As much as it hurts me to say it, no." Crane shook his head. "We need him tonight."

"_If we lose another member of our tribe, we'll have lost our lead on Temlin and be on even grounds." Crane explained. "Because Barney doesn't have Immunity, it's going to be a hard call on wether Elias is loyal to us or not, but we need to focus on voting out a Temlin member tonight."_

"Reginald's a smart guy, dudes." Kida pointed out. "How about him?"

"He's smart, but a non-threat physically." Crane shook his head.

"Sandy's got Immunity and the kids aren't much of a threat." Barney added. "I guess that leaves Jonathan."

"Jonathan's pretty strong." Mel nodded. "I'd say he and Sandy are the strongest left on their tribe."

D'looa, on the other hand, bit her lip. "…Okay. We'll vote for Jonathan." D'looa nodded, almost hesitant. "You think we can trust Elias to vote with us."

Everyone else looked at each other nervously, unsure of what was going through tha actor's head.

"_Hmm…I'm in a very interesting situation right now. Both tribes have approached me, looking for a vote. I can side with my tribe again and vote for Jonathan, or I could temporarily side with Temlin and get rid of Barney." Elias said with a smirk. "Hmm…Choices…Choices…"_

**(Tribal Council)**

The eleven remaining contestants walked into Tribal Council, carrying lit torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start.

"Welcome to Tribal Council. In a moment, you'll all be voting for someone and the person with the most votes will be eliminated." SSBFreak said. "But before we start, let's bring in the jury, which at the moment only consists of Angie, voted out at the last Tribal Council."

Everyone looked at the exit of Tribal Council and watched as a familiar yellow cat made her way into the hut. Angie was no longer wearing her headband and had cut her hair a little bit, but looked pretty much the same other than the fact that she was wearing a short, white tank-top as opposed to a t-shirt.

"Angie will not address you and you will not address her. She's just here to watch the outcome." SSBFreak explained. "Sandy, would you be in danger if you didn't win Immunity?"

The black-haired woman gave a shrug. "No one's really safe now that we're a merged tribe, mac." Sandy replied before holding up her necklace. "Winning this sucker gives the wearer the satisfaction of surviving another three days, so I think that everyone's wanting it right now."

Although surprised at Sandy's perfectly-sane answer, SSBFreak continued. "Crane, the votes were pretty divided last time. Will they be as divided tonight?"

"No. We know for a fact that it's going to be one of two people going tonight." Crane shook his head. "In fact, the entire vote seems dependant on one person."

Elias smirked and SSBFreak noticed it. "I take it you're the person in question, Elias?" He asked.

"Yes. I have the option of voting for Jonathan or Barney, so I really have to weigh my options." Elias nodded. "Either way, we'd be getting rid of a future threat."

"D'looa, how do you think the vote will go?"

"I don't know, to be frank." D'looa sighed. "I mean, we all know who we're voting for, but Elias is just the one we don't know. I guess we'll just have to see how things go."

"I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak explained. "Before I begin, I have to ask. Sandy, will you be giving Immunity to anyone?"

"Not on your life, pal." Sandy replied.

"…On that note, Sandy is immune tonight and cannot be voted off." SSBFreak said. "Mel, you're up."

Mel stood up and left the hut, walking over to the voting table. She scribbled a name onto her ballot and dropped it into the urn.

Zoe walked over to the table and wrote down her vote without a second thought, although she still looked nervous.

Crane wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "Elias, you had better vote with us." He muttered, having voted for Jonathan.

Sandy, wearing her necklace, grinned as she wrote down a name and placed it into the jar.

Kida, unsure about the outcome of the vote, approached the table and cast her vote, shaking her head as she returned.

Reginald quickly scribbled down a name and showed it to the camera. "This is a grand opportunity to eliminate the biggest threat." He explained, having voted for Barney.

D'looa walked up to the table and cast her vote. "I just hope this works out." She sighed as she returned to the hut.

Barney wrote down a name and showed his vote. "Sandy's got Immunity. You and her are the toughest on your tribe." He explained, having voted for Jonathan.

"Not even a hard choice." Marty said as he wrote down a name and placed it in the urn. "I just hope Elias votes with us."

Writing down a name on his ballot, Jonathan showed it to the camera. "Sorry, man. You're by far the biggest threat." He apologized, having voted for Barney.

Elias smirked as he stood at the table, wondering who to vote for. "Hmm...Either way could lead to interesting results." He mused as he finally wrote a name down.

After everyone had cast their votes, SSBFreak left the hut and came back with the urn. "After I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "If anyone has the Hidden Immunity Idol, now is the time to play it."

The Temlin Tribe was expecting Barney to stand up and play the idol, but when he remained silent, they were all surprised.

"It's time to read the votes."

"…First vote, Barney." Barney wasn't at all surprised and remained silent.

"Jonathan." Jonathan nodded, also remaining quiet.

"Jonathan." Jonathan took a deep breath.

"Barney. That's two votes for Barney and Jonathan." The two men in question eyed each other, wondering how the vote would go.

"Barney." The strongman stayed silent, knowing that things still weren't over.

"Barney." This got Barney nervous. He started sweating.

"Jonathan." Barney looked visibly relieved as Jonathan changed his position in his seat nervously.

"Jonathan. That's four votes each for Barney and Jonathan." The two men looked at each other again, knowing that it would be close.

"Jonathan." The brown-haired man bit his lip.

"Barney. That's five votes for Barney and Jonathan." Everyone in the hut was now wondering which of the two would be voted off. "Final vote, eighth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub and second member of our jury…"

"…Barney. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained.

Barney sighed, then nodded as he stood up, accepting his fate. As the other Nago members sadly watched him go, Barney picked up his torch and brought it over to SSBFreak.

"Barney, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak explained as he extinguished Barney's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Good luck guys." Barney said, flashing a thumbs-up to his alliance as he left Tribal Council.

Once Barney was gone, SSBFreak looked at the remaining members. "Barney knew that he was a threat and needed to win Immunity to stay in the game. Unfortunately, that's the downside of being a physically-strong player in a game like this." He explained. "Now that the strongest person in the game has been voted out, things are definitely going to get more intense. You can all head back to camp."

The ten remaining contestants stood up, gathered their torches and left Tribal Council. Kida brought up the rear, shaking her head with a sigh. She knew that something like this would happen. Nago was up by two members coming into the merge, and with Barney's elimination, everything was on an even playing field again.

"_I'm not surprised to see myself getting voted out the way I did. I knew coming into this that I would be viewed as a big threat." Barney explained. "I managed to last out here a good while using my muscles, but in the end it was my lower-body strength that was my downfall. I've got no regrets. Now I just need to work on my jury questions."_

**Voting History:**

**Barney – Reginald, Jonathan, Zoe, Marty, Sandy and Elias**

**Jonathan – D'looa, Kida, Barney, Mel and Crane**

_Author's Note: Barney was planned to be an early juror, but not the first juror. To ensure that, I had to make him win the first merged Immunity and lose the next. Unfortunately, because he was so much stronger than the rest of the remaining cast, him losing Immunity pretty much sealed his fate._


	10. Days 23 to 25

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_I knew this was going to happen, man. I just KNEW this was going to happen. First Nago loses Angie, now Barney. That just totally blew what lead we had." Kida sighed. "I totally told everyone that we needed to pick off a couple of people on Temlin first. Why didn't they listen to me back then and stuff?"_

"This isn't good." D'looa sighed. "Now we're on an even playing field with the Temlin Tribe."

"I was really hoping that this wouldn't turn into a tribal war once we made the merge." Mel sighed. "But it looks like it's going to be us against them until the end."

"I TOLD you dudes that we needed to take out someone on the Temlin Tribe before focusing on Elias." Kida pointed out. "Now that we don't have any lead, we gotta team up with him to cement his vote."

Crane looked thoughtful, but remained silent as his three team-mates continued to talk.

"I know. Now that I think about it, we probably should have listened to you." Mel nodded. "Unfortunately, it's too late to change that now."

"So we'll need to join forces with Elias." D'looa sighed. "Great."

"_I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this, but we don't really have a choice. Elias may have been responsible for voting off Barney, but we need his support to pull ahead again." Mel muttered. "Man. We should have voted for Jonathan a few days ago. That would have given us a better lead…"_

Meanwhile, the five remaining members of Temlin were standing off to the side, talking about their recent success.

"I can't believe it, but we managed to get the playing field even." Reginald said with a smirk. "And we also got rid of their strongest player at the same time. Now it'll be easier for one of us to win Immunity."

"You actually think that you'd be able to win Immunity with scrawny muscles like this?" Sandy asked as she grabbed Reginald's thin arm and held it up, showing it to the others.

"My strength isn't in my arms, you twit." Reginald pointed out as he yanked his arm away from Sandy. "It's in my head."

"_Our chances of success are getting a little better now that Nago lost two members in a row. If we can keep this up, maybe one of us will end up winning." Zoe shrugged. "I'm still not sure if we've decided on which of the remaining members is the biggest threat now that Barney is gone, though."_

"…So now what?"Marty asked. "We haven't been on an even playing field with Nago since day 6."

"We wait. We need to determine which member of Nago is the biggest threat." Reginald replied. "Once that happens, we'll be able to further our plan."

Everyone ended up going to bed at almost the same time, preparing themselves for the following day.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 23)**

"_Barney didn't end up playing the idol last night. That tells me that he didn't find it." Jonathan explained. "The idol would be a huge help to whoever found it, because I think that each of us is at least a small threat in the end. So I've decided to resume the search for the idol, but I've already run out of places to look."_

"Barney must have turned this place inside out looking for the idol and he still didn't find it." Jonathan shook his head. "I have no idea where to look…"

"Looking for something?"

Jonathan turned and saw D'looa coming over. "Eh, just looking for the idol. Barney didn't play it last night." He replied.

"I know. The poor guy looked everywhere for it, so I was sure he had it." D'looa shrugged. "Uh…Jonathan, I hope you're not mad that I voted for you last night."

Jonathan gave a shrug. "I knew it would either be me or Sandy getting the votes and she had Immunity." He replied. "In fact, I should probably feel flattered that you guys consider me a threat."

"I just wanted to make sure that there weren't any hard feelings, because I really enjoyed talking to you." D'looa added.

"_I honestly didn't want to vote for Jonathan, but he WAS the only real logical choice since Sandy had Immunity." D'looa sighed. "I'm just glad he wasn't angry at me. If he wasn't such a big threat, I'd make an alliance with him in a heartbeat."_

Meanwhile, it just so happened that two members of Nago were actually considering such an alliance.

"You think we should go for it?" Mel asked. "I mean, a cross-tribe alliance could be risky."

"Not if we join forces with the right person." Crane noted. "Now that Barney is gone, we're going to need some extra help. And if we forge a strong enough alliance, we could end up with an extra jury vote if either of us make it to the end."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Mel nodded. "But which one do we try to join with? I mean, Reginald seems like he would most-likely stab us in the back and the duo of Jonathan and Zoe look like they'd just flip back and forth to stay in the game."

"That leaves Sandy and Marty." Crane replied. "I'm up for joining up with Marty."

Mel paused in thought, then nodded again. "Sandy's definitely the bigger threat." She agreed.

"_Marty's probably the best choice we've got for an ally on Temlin because he doesn't seem to have a real alliance yet and he's clearly no physical threat." Crane said with a smirk. "Mel and I need the numbers, so if we can get an ally that can slip under the radar like we can, we'll be in good shape."_

"When do you think we should approach him about it?" Mel asked. "I don't know if we should ask him about an alliance in front of his tribe-mates."

"We'll play it out and see if we can get the chance." Crane replied casually. "We need to make sure that no one else on his tribe knows about it."

"Especially not Reginald." Mel shook her head. "If he found out, he'd probably get people to turn on us."

Speaking of Marty, he was currently wandering around the camp, looking for the idol. Actually, he was riding on top of Sandy's back as the dark-haired woman was crawling around on all fours, sniffing the ground like a dog.

"I don't know why you're even doing this, Sandy." Marty said. "I mean, you're not a dog or anything."

"My parents always told me I was injected with dog DNA, but I've never been able to prove it wrong." Sandy replied before sitting down and scratching her head with her foot, knocking Marty off her back. "Personally, I think that I just have a naturally better sense of smell than normal and they were just joking around."

Marty sat there, unsure as to how to respond to the crazy woman, before deciding to go with it. "Well, can you…Uh…Smell the idol yet?" He asked.

Sandy paused, then continued to snoop around before striking a 'found-it' pose, pointing her nose straight at the ground.

Marty quickly scurried over to where Sandy was pointing and started digging. However, he came up with nothing. "It's not here, Sandy."

"Seriously?" Sandy asked as she sat down. "It must be around here somewhere, though. I could have sworn that I smelled something."

"_I'm glad that I survived until the merge and am still in the competition, but there's only ten people left. I need to find a way to step up my game without being labeled as a threat." Marty explained, his arms folded. "The main problem is that I have no idea how to do that. Slipping under the radar is easy for someone like me, but it's not good enough to win."_

"You think someone may have already found the idol, then?" Marty asked. "If it's not in the area you 'think' it's in, then would that mean that it's not there anymore?"

"I don't know. I'd better see if I can logically find out what the problem is…" Sandy said before looking thoughtful. A few seconds and her face snapped into a pained expression before she held her head. "Whoa, that hurt! Okay, we'll come back to that later."

Meanwhile, Elias was listening to a lecture from D'looa, whom had gone to talk to him after chatting with Jonathan.

"Okay, Elias. We don't like you, but thanks to you voting with the other team, we NEED your vote this time around." D'looa pointed out. "You've whittled us down enough that we're on the same playing field as the other tribe, so we admit it. You've won and we'll keep you around."

Elias gave a smirk. "That's all I wanted to hear, D'looa." He said. "It's nice to know that I'm needed in the tribe."

With that, Elias turned and walked off. D'looa's eye started twitching and she pulled her fist back to give Elias a sucker-punch, but Kida, whom was standing with her, promptly held her back.

"_You know what? Maybe if we actually voted that creep off on day 6, we wouldn't be in the predicament right now." D'looa said, looking mad. "Elias acts so smug and thinks he's got the game in the bag. He's going to get what's coming to him if I have to give it to him myself."_

"_D'looa's starting to get kinda mad, dudes. I haven't seen her this mad since Bonnie was still around." Kida said nervously. "A bad attitude can get others to turn on you and stuff, so if she wants to win, she's gotta control her temper or else she could turn into something she doesn't like."_

As he continued to watch Jonathan, Sandy and Marty search around for the hidden Immunity Idol, Reginald was doing a little bit of searching on his own. However, as he was inspecting a few trees and bushes, he was keeping a close eye on his competition, scanning them as if pondering his next move.

"We're in a good position right now, but not good enough." Reginald said as a smirk floated across his face. "Jonathan and Zoe can still be useful for a moment. But the question is…Which one is the biggest threat?"

"_Just because we're on an even playing field with Nago doesn't mean I'm willing to vote out one of my own tribe members yet, but that day will come soon." Reginald promised. "I'm just torn as to which Nago members are the biggest threat. Crane and Mel are no physical problem and Elias isn't as big a threat as he thinks he is, so that leaves the choice between the stronger D'looa or the friendly Kida, who could turn into a bigger jury threat in the end."_

"I'm going to need to dispose of Jonathan and Zoe eventually." Reginald mused to himself. "When we're in a good enough spot, whichever one of the two doesn't win Immunity I'll get the others to vote out."

However, as Reginald was plotting, he failed to notice a patch of black and white fur watching him from behind a tree. As Reginald turned to see what it was, the figure was gone.

"_Oh, crap! This is going to end so badly!" Zoe said, holding her head in desperation. "Jonathan and I need to find that idol if we want to get the best of Reggie's plan!"_

Zoe tried to talk to Jonathan about Reginald's plan, but couldn't manage to get alone with him without the rabbit seeing her. In the end, the search for the idol was just as fruitless as before and everyone ended up going to bed worried that someone else had already found it.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 24)**

"_It's day 24 and I've managed to survive this long. It's hard to believe that I managed to come so far after being so close to elimination on day 6." Elias admitted. "My strategy now is to focus my attention on taking out the biggest threats and keep some of the weaker members, at least until my tribe realizes that they need to keep me around."_

Elias looked around the campgrounds. Mel & Crane were once again talking together, as were the pairs of D'looa & Kida and Jonathan & Zoe. The fact that there were so many alliances made Elias a little unsettled.

"The only ones without any real alliances are all on the Temlin Tribe." Elias said. "And Reginald and Sandy are threats. Marty is the only one that doesn't strike me as a threat."

"Running, running, I love running! Running here and there!" Sandy sang, running past Elias and waving her arms. "Running, running, I love running! Running everywhere!"

Elias blinked a couple of times, then at the direction Sandy had gone. "Maybe Sandy isn't as big a threat as I thought…" He mused.

Meanwhile, D'looa and Kida were sitting at the fire pit, discussing strategy.

"Who do you think we should go for first, Kida?" D'looa asked.

"I'm thinking Jonathan still, man." Kida replied. "He's totally the strongest on the other team and stuff."

D'looa bit her lip. "Uh…How about we focus on Sandy first?" She asked. "I mean, she could become a real threat real fast."

"Dude, I know you liked talking to Jonathan, but you gotta admit that he's the strongest." Kida pointed out.

"_Going into this, D'looa told me not to let my feelings get in the way of playing the game, and I went against it by keeping Elias a few days ago and stuff." Kida pointed out. "Now D'looa is starting to get the same problem and it's totally at a point where she needs to follow her own advice."_

"But Jonathan's got alliance potential. I mean, he's nice enough and he needs a concrete alliance." D'looa reminded.

Kida pondered this. "A cross-tribal alliance? I dunno, man. That seems kinda risky." She said. "Especially since Jonathan's been playing the swing vote since we started."

"Maybe so, but you have to admit that it's a decent idea." D'looa replied. "If we had an ally on the other tribe, it would be an extra vote for us."

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Zoe were walking over to the treemail box to check and see if they had gotten anything yet. In fact, Zoe was relaying to Jonathan what she had heard from Reginald the day before.

"He's going to get rid of us when he gets the chance, Jonathan!" Zoe explained, looking back to make sure that Reginald wasn't watching them. "I overheard Reggie say that he'd get rid of us when we had a lead on the other team!"

"_It makes sense. Reggie's had it in for us for a while now. I knew that he'd target us when he got the chance. I just wasn't expecting it this early." Jonathan said. "Zoe and I are needing that idol more than ever. After the upcoming challenge, we're going to need to resume our search for it and hope we can find it before someone like Reggie does."_

Jonathan reached into the treemail box and pulled out a letter. "Looks like we've got treemail. You ready, Zoe?" He asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Zoe shook her head. "We're going to have an uphill battle once Reggie targets us, anyway."

The two went back to the tribal grounds with the letter. "We've got treemail, everyone." Jonathan called out, getting the attention of everyone else.

"Reward or Immunity?" D'looa asked.

"It doesn't say, just like it usually never does." Jonathan shook his head. "It just asks 'How's your aim?'."

"Sounds pretty straightforward, from the looks of it." Reginald said. "It doesn't even look like it'll play on any of our physical strengths."

"Then we'd better head out and see what SSBFreak wants." Marty scratched his head.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The ten remaining contestants walked onto a clearing in the jungle and stepped over to the black mat sitting on the ground. The group of ten stepped onto the mat to await directions.

"Welcome to your first Reward Challenge as a merged tribe, La'nooba. This challenge, to be frank, is a test of accuracy." SSBFreak said, getting the group to focus their attention on a large target on the ground a fair ways away. "You will each take turns throwing a ball towards the target, and the closest one to the middle is the one that wins. However, remember that you each only have one throw each, so you need to make it count. The winner of this challenge wins Reward, which is a day trip to a villa, where you'll be spending the night."

Everyone looked excited at what was at stake, but remained silent as the host continued.

"I'll decide your order after we hand out the balls that you'll be throwing." SSBFreak explained. "Remember that you only have one shot."

Jonathan was first. He held a green ball in his hand and prepared to throw it at the large target.

"Okay, Jonathan. You can throw anytime."

Jonathan nodded and threw the ball underhanded. The ball flew through the air and straight at the target before coming to a rest in the third ring.

"Not a bad throw." SSBFreak said. "We'll see how it holds up."

"It's still possible that someone can beat it." Jonathan shook his head as he stepped aside.

Mel was next, holding a red ball. The tech geek looked at the target and prepared to throw. Mel hurled the ball with all of her might, but couldn't make it land closer to the middle than Jonathan had.

"Nice throw, but not good enough to win, I'm afraid." SSBFreak said. "Jonathan is still the current leader."

"Well, I tried." Mel shrugged. "It was close."

Sandy was up next, tossing a yellow ball to herself.

"Okay. The ball weighs about half a pound, so I gotta know how hard to throw it and at what angle to throw it at in order to make it land in the middle of the target." Sandy said in a fast and breathless rant. "Plus I gotta take into effect the wind speed velocity and the temperature and the direction of the wind because they would impede the progress of the ball and only then would I be able to throw the ball and-HYARGH!" Sandy shouted, hurling the ball into the air.

The ball plopped onto the ground three feet away. Sandy blinked at it a couple of times.

"Uh…Sandy…That was pathetic." SSBFreak pointed out.

Reginald came up next with a white ball. When told he could go, the rabbit threw the ball. Unfortunately, he didn't go as far as the target and the ball landed a few feet from the outermost ring.

"Not bad, but still not good enough." SSBFreak shook his head. "Jonathan is still leading."

Reginald muttered something under his breath as he stepped aside to let the next person through.

That person was D'looa, whom threw the blue ball she was holding at the target. However, unlike those before her, D'looa managed to get lucky and got her ball closer to the middle of the target than Jonathan did, even if it was only by a bit.

"D'looa managed to overtake Jonathan." SSBFreak announced. "She's now in the lead."

"Great. Now I just need to see if it holds out." D'looa nodded.

Kida was holding an orange ball as she stepped up to attempt. The Rilgarian threw her ball at the target, but only succeeded in throwing it a little further than Reginald did.

"Unfortunately it's not good enough." SSBFreak said. "D'looa is still leading."

"That sucks, man." Kida sighed.

Marty was next and was holding a purple ball. The koopa wound up his arm and threw it, but let go of the ball too late. The purple ball landed just a few feet further than Sandy's.

"Not that good of a throw, Marty." SSBFreak said. "D'looa is still leading."

"Way to rub it in, man." Marty muttered.

Zoe was next and was holding a black ball. The skunk girl kissed her ball for good luck before throwing it at the target. She managed to make it onto the target, but not far enough to catch D'looa or even Jonathan.

"Not bad, but not good enough." SSBFreak said. "D'looa is still leading."

"Man. I was hoping I'd get it." Zoe sighed.

Elias came up next and held a dark blue ball in his hand. The actor looked at the target and threw it, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, while Elias managed to beat Jonathan, he was unable to throw his ball as close to the middle as D'looa.

"So close, and yet so far." SSBFreak said. "D'looa is still leading."

Crane was the last one to throw. The rudie held his forest green ball in his hand as he looked at the target. The white-haired teenager threw the ball after a moment's hesitation. Everyone watched as Crane's ball came within inches of the middle, beating D'looa by a full ring.

"Crane is the closest to the middle!" SSBFreak announced. "Crane wins Reward!"

"Not bad. My first individual win." Crane said with a smirk.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Crane. You've won Reward and are able to go to the villa for the rest of the day." SSBFreak told Crane before looking at the other nine contestants. "But going alone would be pretty lonely. Which two people would you like to bring with you?"

"Mel." Crane said without any hesitation. "And…Uh…" He said, looking in deep thought. "…Marty."

Marty's eyes widened. "Seriously?" He asked as he followed Mel out to join Crane off the mat.

"Okay. Crane, Mel and Marty can go to the helicopter that will take them to the villa. They will join the rest of you at the next challenge tomorrow." SSBFreak said. "Everyone else, you can head back to camp."

As Crane, Mel and Marty left in one direction to go to the helicopter, everyone else turned and went back to camp.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Crane won Reward earlier, which isn't a bad thing. I mean, now he gets to spend some time with Mel." D'looa admitted. "But what I'm confused about is why he chose to take along Marty as well. I just don't know why he picked Marty over any of us on Nago."_

"Why the heck did Crane choose to take Marty?" D'looa asked aloud as she walked into camp. "I mean, the two hardly even know each other, so Crane taking Marty along on that trip doesn't make any sense."

"Dude, I think I may know the reason." Kida explained. "Everyone else on our tribe was in alliances of two, and Crane didn't wanna take just one. Marty seems to be the only one on Temlin that isn't already in some sort of alliance."

"I guess that makes sense." D'looa scratched her head. "But Sandy isn't really on an alliance, either."

"Dude, do you realize who you're talking about?"

D'looa paused when she realized that Crane would probably keel over before taking Sandy on a reward trip. "Yeah. You're probably right there." She admitted.

"_Crane, Mel and Marty gone on their reward trip is a good thing for Jonathan and I. That means it's three less people looking for the idol." Zoe pointed out. "Hopefully we'll be able to find it while they're gone, because we may not get another chance like this again."_

"Where do you think we should look for the idol, Jonathan?" Zoe asked. "I mean, we've pretty much turned the camp inside out already."

"I don't know. It DOES seem like we've gone through the camp three times looking for that thing." Jonathan sighed. "I just don't know where it would be. We may as well start combing the campgrounds again."

Meanwhile, Sandy was sniffing around the camgrounds again, crawling around on all fours as she did. It was clear that she was going to try and find the idol using the bloodhound technique again, but like before wasn't having much luck.

"I don't know why this isn't working." Sandy mused as she sniffed around the shelter. "Usually, I'd have picked it up by now."

"_My nose has never failed me before, and I still can't find that idol! Maybe all of the sand here is hiding the idol's scent and I can't pick it up." Sandy scratched her head. "I don't understand. I used the bloodhound method to find a whole lot of things back home, but then again, those things were all sitting out in the open and not potentially buried by a ton of sand."_

Sandy sat down, looking in deep thought. "I can only think of three solutions here. The idol isn't buried in the sand, someone already found it…" She said before her eyes widened in horror. _**"OR THE SAND WEAVALS HAVE STOLEN IT AND ARE PLOTTING OUR ULTIMELY DEMISE!!!!"**_

"Shut up about the sand weavals, already!!" Reginald shouted from across the camp.

"Sorry, Reggie!"

"REGINALD!!!"

**(Villa)**

"Wow! This place is amazing!" Mel said in awe as she looked around the spacious villa she, Crane and Marty had been dropped off at. "This is so much better than the camp!"

"Is this sort of like the spa you guys were sent to that one time?" Crane asked Marty.

Marty looked around. "Uh…Kinda. I think the spa was a little nicer, but I think that goes without saying." He replied.

"_Crane chose me to come with him and Mel when he won the reward. Not that I'm complaining, but I'm just curious as to why he chose me over the others on his tribe." Marty said. "It just makes me wonder what Crane was thinking when he decided to bring me along."_

The three contestants were soon eating dinner, which was a definite change from what they had been eating for the past while.

"This stuff is so good." Mel said as she continued to eat. "I like playing the game and all, but I can't wait to get back to civilization so I can eat normally again."

"I know. This food is certainly a welcome taste." Crane nodded.

Marty bit his lip, then decided to speak up. "Hey, Crane?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering why you decided to bring me along." Marty replied. "I mean, you picked me over everyone else in your tribe aside from Mel."

"I knew right away that I was going to choose you, Marty. I just made it look like I had to think about it." Crane replied. "Look, Mel and I have been talking and we think we'd like to join an alliance with you."

Marty tilted his head. "Seriously? Why me over the others in my tribe?" He asked.

"Jonathan & Zoe haven't had a concrete alliance since the start and Reginald & Sandy are too big of threats."Crane pointed out. "We knew that if we wanted to join forces with someone from Temlin, it would have to be someone that wasn't a threat…Uh…No offense, of course."

"None taken."

"So are you in, Marty?" Mel asked. "We'd have to keep this a secret from everyone else, though."

Marty smiled. "Sure. I think it'd be a good idea to get the drop on some of the others when they're not expecting it." He admitted.

"_Bringing Marty onto the alliance was a good idea in my opinion. He's definitely not a big threat, so the others will probably keep him around." Mel shrugged. "And if he's not a threat, he'll stick with Crane and I to the end. Heck, if Marty DOES get voted off, he'll probably end up voting for either Crane or I in the end as well, so that works out even better."_

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

Reginald was at the fire pit, trying to get a fire started. Unfortunately, he wasn't having much luck and couldn't get a good fire going. He knew that this wasn't good, because Jonathan was fishing and they would need a fire to cook the fish he caught.

The tall rabbit took a break from trying to build a fire and sighed in frustration. Turning his head, Reginald saw Elias coming over. Putting up his mental defenses, Reginald got up.

"Yes, Elias? What is it?" Reginald asked.

"Look, pal. I'm here to propose some sort of an alliance." Elias suggested. "I know we haven't seen eye to eye, but I realize how hard it must be to be the smartest one on a team of people with sub-par intelligence."

Reginald lifted an eyebrow. "And why do you think I would want to team up with you in the first place?" He asked.

"Just think about it. We're the smartest people on the island. With our combined intelligence, we can turn the game inside out on the others." Elias replied, giving a smirk. "No one would be able to stop us if we join our minds."

"Tell you what. I'll think about it." Reginald said.

Elias nodded. "Put some thought into it, because I really think this could help the both of us." He said as he turned and walked away.

"_If I had a rival here, I think it would definitely be Reginald. I mean, he's clearly the schemer of his team and he needs to team up with someone of equal intelligence to go far." Elias shrugged. "I think that Reginald wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. I'm sure that he'd agree that I'm cleary the brains of my team."_

"_Elias is a complete idiot. He actually believes that he's the smartest person on his tribe? That's a laugh." Reginald said with a smirk. "I realized long ago that Mel was the smartest person on Nago. She unfortunately just doesn't realize it yet. However, maybe I CAN benefit from an alliance with Elias. I should be able to manipulate him while he assumes he's in control."_

Meanwhile, Jonathan was fishing down at the beach. While he was indeed trying to catch something for supper, his mind was more focused on one thing and one thing alone.

"I just don't get where the idol would be. Zoe and I looked everywhere." Jonathan shook his head. "The only thing I can think of is that someone else found it already."

"_This isn't good. We need that idol more than anyone now that I know Reggie's going to be after us soon. The only problem is that we can't find a trace of it anywhere." Jonathan sighed. "I just don't get it. We've been searching through the entire camp ever since we made the merge. How are we not finding it?"_

"It's almost like that the idol isn't even hidden on the campgrounds at all." Jonathan shook his head. "But if it isn't there, then…"

That's when Jonathan noticed something sticking out of the sand just underneath the surface of the water. On closer inspection, it looked like a gem. Jonathan's eyes widened before he frantically looked around the campgrounds to make sure no one was watching him.

Once he was sure that no one was watching, Jonathan shoved his hand into the water and grabbed hold of the gem sticking out of the sand. Pulling his hand out of the water, Jonathan saw that he was now holding a necklace made up of several multicoloured gems.

A wide and excited smile appeared on Jonathan's face. Looking around one more time, Jonathan quickly shoved the necklace into his shirt so he could hide it later.

"_I found it! I actually found the hidden immunity idol!"Jonathan said, showing the necklace to the camera. "This is amazing! I can't believe it was hidden in the shallow water all along! No wonder none of us could find this thing!"_

Eventually, night came around. Everyone went to sleep, although Jonathan managed to get to sleep a little more soundly due to his recent discovery.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 25)**

"_We searched for that idol ever since we got back from the Reward Challenge and we still haven't found it." D'looa sighed. "We thought that it would be easier with three of the others enjoying a trip, but no dice. Everyone here is suspicious that the idol's already been found, and are just waiting for someone to stab someone else in the back…"_

"Any luck finding the idol yesterday?" D'looa asked Zoe, whom was fishing at the beach.

"No. It sucks, because Jonathan and I need that stupid thing more than ever now." Zoe shook her head.

"I just think that we're either all missing something at the same time or there's someone here that's planning to use it while we've all got out backs turned." The Twi'lek girl replied, folding her arms.

Sandy suddenly appeared beside D'looa and grabbed her by the shoulders. **"IT'S THE SAND WEAVALS, I TELL YOU!!!"** She screamed, shaking D'looa violently. **"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"**

Letting go of D'looa, Sandy ran screaming into the water, diving headfirst once she was in deep enough.

"…_How has that woman lasted this long?!" D'looa demanded._

"_Sandy's a really weird one. I mean, her craziness doesn't technically make her a threat, and that's good on her part." Zoe shrugged. "The only problem is that her craziness is weirding everyone else out so they may just want to get rid of her. Not that I'm complaining. If they decide to kick Sandy off, then I'm safe for another few days."_

Kida came over soon after Sandy had jumped into the ocean. "What'cha up to, dudes?" She asked.

"Trying to catch fish." Zoe replied.

"Nothing up until now. Apparently, I'm trying to see how long Sandy can hold her breath underwater." D'looa replied, looking out at the area Sandy had gone under.

"So what's the plan, D'looa?" Kida asked. "We still sticking with the plan?"

D'looa looked at Zoe, whom seemed preoccupied with her fishing. "I don't want to, but yeah. We are." She replied.

"Good to hear, bro." Kida said with a smile.

However, Zoe made a suspicious face at the two, but neither of the aliens noticed it.

"_I'm not stupid. They didn't even need to mention any names and I knew what they were talking about." Zoe shook her head. "Man. It looks like Jonathan and I need to find that idol as soon as we can or else we'll be getting kicked off the island before either of us know it."_

Sandy suddenly burst out from underneath the waves, holding a large, thrashing fish. "I've got grub, everyone!" She called out, cheerful once again and seemingly forgetting the fact that she had been terrified in the first place.

The mouths of D'looa and Kida fell open at the sight of the huge fish. "But…HOW?!?!" D'looa demanded.

Zoe shrugged with a smirk. "You get used to it." She replied.

After lunch, Jonathan had gone to get treemail, and had come back with something in his hand.

"We've got treemail, guys!"

Everyone in the camp turned and saw Jonathan coming over with the new treemail. Zoe couldn't help but notice that Jonathan also looked somewhat refreshed, as if he had a good sleep.

"What's it say the challenge is?" Reginald asked.

"All it says is 'Get ready for an upper-body workout'." Jonathan shrugged.

"I guess it's a good thing we got rid of Barney, then." Zoe said.

"Indeed. This gives us all a good chance." Reginald said with a smirk.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The La'nooba Tribe walked onto the beach and over to the black mat on the shoreline. The seven contestants waited for SSBFreak to start and get the challenge going.

"Before we start, let's bring in Crane, Mel and Marty, whom just returned from their trip to the villa." SSBFreak said. Everyone watched as the three other contestants came out into the open and walked onto the mat.

"Hey, guys!" Mel greeted.

"This will be the Immunity Challenge and we're going to play it a little differently. See that bar out there in the water?" SSBFreak asked, pointing towards a bar hanging several feet above the surface of the water. "You will all hang from that bar in a test of upper body strength to see who can outlast the others. But here's the interesting part. The game will end when the first five people drop from the bar. These five people will be the only ones going to Tribal Council, and no one will be safe out of those five."

Everyone's eyes widened as they realized that their fate could potentially rely on how strong their arms were.

"Okay, if you'll all go out to those platforms by the bar, we'll get you guys started." SSBFreak said.

**(Later…)**

The ten contestants were lined up just underneath the pole on a long platform, holding onto the bar above them as they waited for the game to start.

"Okay, for Immunity, Survivors ready…" SSBFreak said. "Go!"

With that, the platform everyone was standing on dropped, forcing everyone to start usng their arms to keep them holding onto the bar. Everyone quickly realized that holding onto the bar was a lot harder than simply just standing on top of a platform and everyone felt the muscles in their arms being stretched.

Even still, everyone knew that only the first five to drop would be going to Tribal Council, and that place was the last place any of them wanted to be. It was this fact alone that kept the ten contestants going.

SSBFreak looked out amongst the contestants and saw that they were struggling. "Crane, what's going on in-"

"Don't talk to me." Crane cut the host off, trying not to break his concentration.

SSBFreak blinked a few times before going onto the next person. "Sandy, what's going on in your mind right now?" He asked.

"Right now I'm wondering how they get the caramel inside a Caramilk bar." Sandy replied casually.

Once again, SSBFreak blinked a few times. He decided to move to the next person. "Uh…D'looa, what's going on in your mind right now?" He asked, hoping for a real answer.

"The only thing I'm thinking of is how much I want to avoid Tribal Council." D'looa replied. "And I'm sure everyone's thinking the same thing."

"Jonathan, what's your strategy coming into this?"

"There's no strategy, pal. I'm just trying to outlast five of the others." Jonathan shook his head.

"Elias, do you think that you can do well in a challenge like this?"

"Only if there are people with worse arms than me." Elias replied. "I just need to hold out until they drop."

"Mel, how-"

That was as far as SSBFreak got before everyone heard a splash. They all turned their heads and saw Zoe treading water below.

"Zoe is the first one out! Four more to go!" SSBFreak called out.

"That sucks." Zoe sighed as she paddled to shore.

Jonathan watched as Zoe swam to shore and realized that she was going to Tribal Council. He decided to wait it out and see who else would be going as well before contemplating giving Zoe the Immunity Idol he had found just in case.

"I'm impressed that you've managed to hold on this long, everyone." SSBFreak said. "However, you'll all be hanging there until four more people drop."

Deciding to ask some more questions, SSBFreak looked at another contestant. "Kida, how are you holding up?" He asked.

"My arms feel like they're on fire, bro." Kida moaned. "I dunno how long I can hold on like this…"

"How about you, Reginald?"

"Not that bad, but I don't weigh that much to begin with." Reginald supplied. "My guess is that that has some sort of impact on how well I'm feeling right now."

"Crane, do you-"

"I thought I told you not to talk to me!" Crane snapped. "It's hard enough to concentrate without talking!"

"…Okay. Sandy, what's-" SSBFreak stopped short when he saw what Sandy was doing.

"You spin me right round, baby! Right round!" Sandy sang as she spun around the bar like a trapeze artist.

Hanging on beside the crazy woman, Elias' eye twitched from behind his shades. "That's it. I can't take it anymore." He said as he let go and dropped into the water.

"Elias is out! Only three more people need to drop!"

Marty struggled to hold onto the bar, but his scrawny arms finally gave out and he fell headlong into the water. Kida, hanging beside him, fell right after he did.

"Oh! Make that one! Marty and Kida are both out!" SSBFreak said as the three dropouts paddled to shore. "Okay, everyone. You six are the last ones left, but we need one more person to drop out before we finish the game."

Mel felt her arms giving out. Gritting her teeth, the tech geek looked up and saw that she couldn't hold on any longer. She sighed in defeat and let go.

However, Crane noticed her struggling and quickly let go of the bar just before she did. The two teens hit the water, but Crane hit it first.

"Both Mel and Crane dropped, but since Crane hit the water first, he's the last one going to Tribal Council!" SSBFreak said. "The challenge is over!"

Hearing this, everyone else quickly let go of the bar and dropped into the water, most of their faces having looks of relief on them.

**(Later…)**

"Okay, here's how things are going to happen. Reginald, D'looa, Mel, Sandy and Jonathan are all safe tonight and don't have to go to Tribal Council. However, Zoe, Elias, Marty, Kida and Crane will be going to Tribal Council right after you all get back to camp." SSBFreak explained. "There will be no regrouping and no time for strategizing. You five will head out for Tribal Council as soon as you all get back and one of you will be eliminated from the game."

Stepping backwards a couple of steps, SSBFreak placed his arms behind his back. "You can all head back to camp." He explained.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

The five safe players watched as Zoe, Elias, Marty, Kida and Crane left camp to head off to Tribal Council. Needless to say, three of them were looking pretty worried.

"_I didn't have the time to get the Immunity Idol from its hiding place to give to Zoe because she had to leave right after we got back." Jonathan explained. "This is bad because I think she may be in danger at Tribal Council."_

"So how do you think the voting will go?" Reginald asked curiously. He honestly didn't care how the vote went, but was wondering what the others thought.

"Zoe is so dead. She and Marty are the only members of Temlin going and she's the bigger threat of the two." Jonathan shook his head with a sigh. "Unless a miracle happens, she's getting eliminated."

"You seem to forget that Elias is also going to Tribal Council and he seems to like flipping between tribes." D'looa said, her eyes narrowed at the entrance to the camp. "Kida may not be a physical threat, but I think she's in danger as well."

"I'm worried for Crane. I think the others may think that he threw the challenge to keep me in the game." Mel explained. "They may vote him out because of that."

"Hmm…They're all definitely possibilities." Reginald nodded. "I don't think anyone's exactly safe tonight."

"I guess the only thing we can do is hope that our alliance members survive the council." D'looa sighed.

"_Both of my alliance members are going to Tribal Council, so I can at least take some comfort in knowing that they're not going to vote for each other." Mel shrugged. "The only problem is that the others may vote one of them off. Man, we just get a third person onto our alliance and it looks like we may be back down to two members again…"_

"I suppose only time will tell." Reginald shrugged. "What do you think, Sandy?"

Sandy was preoccupied at the moment, snooping around the camp, lifting logs and rocks off the ground to look under them.

"I must find the sand weavals. They're somewhere in the camp. I just know it." Sandy muttered to herself (but loud enough for everyone else to hear). "The survival of humanity is depending on me to find the sand weavals."

The other four contestants stood in silence, watching the crazy girl snoop around the camp.

"Why do you even ask her, man?" Jonathan asked Reginald.

"You know what? I wonder that myself." Reginald sighed.

**(Tribal Council)**

The five losers of the Immunity Challenge walked into Tribal Council, carrying their torches. The five sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start.

"Welcome to Tribal Council. There are only five of you here, but I can bet that it'll still be as interesting as ever." SSBFreak said. "But before we start, let's bring out the members of the jury: Angie and Barney, voted out at the last Tribal Council."

The five contestants looked towards the exit of Tribal Council and watched as Angie walked in again. However, Barney was following her this time, towering over the cat. Barney was wearing an open, blue shirt, exposing his chest, and was no longer wearing his bandana, showing that he had a full head of hair. The two walked over to the jury bench and sat down together.

"They will not address you and you will not address them. They're just here to watch the outcome." SSBFreak explained before starting the questions. "Crane, it looked like you were doing fine, but you just dropped out at the last moment and spared Mel from coming here. Why was that?"

"My arms gave out. Simple as that." Crane shrugged. "That challenge was exhausting for everyone and I just ended up dropping out at the wrong time."

"He SO dropped out to save Mel from coming." Barney whispered to Angie.

"You got that right, bub." Angie chuckled.

"Zoe, are you in danger tonight?" SSBFreak asked.

"In all honesty, I really don't know. I mean, looking at Marty and I, people would probably see me as the bigger threat." Zoe replied. "On the other hand, I'm still not the biggest threat here. So I don't know how the vote will go."

"Marty, who's going home?"

"That's the problem. We have no idea." Marty explained. "I mean, Zoe and I will probably vote for one person, while Kida and Crane will vote for another, but Elias is the vote here that no one can guess on."

"Kida, what's your strategy going into the vote?"

"Dude, my tribe needs the numbers right now, especially since we're already tied with Temlin for team members again." Kida sighed. "I know that and so does everyone else on my tribe. The only one that doesn't seem to grasp that concept and stuff is Elias."

"Elias, what are your thoughts about that comment?"

"I'm a little surprised. I mean, I know that we need the numbers, but when you get to the merge, it's all about taking out the biggest threat." Elias replied.

"Not everyone sees it that way, you know." Crane replied. "Others would just pick off the losing tribe until they're the only ones left."

"Well, I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak explained. "Crane, you're up."

Crane nodded and stood up, leaving the hut and walking down the pathway to the voting box. He quickly scribbled a name down and placed it into the urn.

Marty approached the table and showed his vote to the camera. "You're the biggest jury threat here." He apologized, having voted for Kida.

Elias walked up to the counter. He pondered his choice for a few seconds before writing a name down and voting.

Kida wrote a name down and showed it. "Out of you and Marty, you're definitely the bigger threat, man." She said, having voted for Zoe.

Zoe nervously wrote a name down and placed it in the urn. The skunk girl rushed back to Tribal Council once she was done.

Once everyone had voted, SSBFreak left the hut and returned with the voting urn. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately. If anyone has the Hidden Immunity Idol, now is the time to play it." He said. He was greeted with silence. "It's time to read the votes."

"…First vote; Zoe." The skunk girl bit her lip.

"Zoe." Zoe was starting to feel even more nervous now.

"…Kida." Kida and Zoe exchanged nervous glances.

"Kida. That's two votes for Zoe and two for Kida." The two girls were on the edge of their seats, wondering how the voting had gone. "Final vote, third member of our jury and ninth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Kida. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained.

"I can't believe Elias just did that." Angie said, her eyes wide.

Barney growled. "Maybe he's not so smart after all."

Kida sat there in disbelief before glaring at Elias. The actor just shrugged. "You were the biggest threat, dear." He explained.

Kida stood up and stared down at Elias. "Dude, you just doomed the whole tribe." She said.

"Whatever you say." Elias replied. "You should have-"

That was all Elias got out before Kida gave him a hard backhand across the face. As Elias fell off his seat and the others (including Angie and Barney) stared in shock, Kida silently grabbed her torch and approached SSBFreak.

"Kida, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Kida's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Hang loose, dudes." Kida said as she made a 'rock-on' sign with her hand as she walked out of sight.

Once Kida was gone, SSBFreak looked at the others. "Kida wasn't expecting that, but it just goes to show you how unexpectedly the voting can go at times." He said. "Only nine remain. Now is the time to start playing rough, but I'm sure that all of you are aware of that. You can all head back to camp."

Zoe, Marty and Crane grabbed their torches and walked off without Elias, whom took a second to get to his feet first. Grabbing his torch, Elias followed the others, contemplating his choice. Yes, he had just put the Nago Tribe in an extremely tight spot, but in doing so, he had taken out someone that everyone else liked; in other words, the biggest jury threat imaginable.

"_I guess I was asking for it after trusting Elias a few days back, man. I just thought that he'd be smart enough to know we needed the numbers. Not that I'm upset with my performance or anything, man. I just wish I didn't get cut the way I did." Kida sighed. "Well, now that he's totally put our tribe at a disadvantage, it's only a matter of time before we all get picked off. My only hope is that it starts with Elias."_

**Voting History:**

**Kida – Marty, Zoe and Elias**

**Zoe – Kida and Crane**

Author's Note: Kida was originally planned to get kicked off where Angie was, but when I decided I wanted a Tribal Council like this, I swapped the two around (Angie would have gone out the same way, by the way) and kicked Kida off here.


	11. Days 26 to 28

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

The five safe contestants watched as four others returned to camp from Tribal Council, carrying their torches (well, four of them were watching; Sandy was still searching around camp for sand weavals). Nearly everyone was surprised when they saw who had been eliminated.

D'looa saw that her friend wasn't one of the four that returned to camp and went over to Crane, seeking answers. "How was Kida voted out?!" She asked.

"Elias didn't vote with us. That's why." Crane said darkly as he walked past D'looa.

"_Elias voted out Kida! What was he thinking?! Now we're behind the Temlin Tribe and we're in serious danger of being picked off one at a time!" D'looa explained. "I don't know why he's calling this thing he's playing strategy, because in putting us at a disadvantage, all we have to do is wait for the other tribe to take us out."_

D'looa and Mel were instantly in Elias' face. "Why did you vote Kida out?!" D'looa asked.

"I saw her as the biggest threat." Elias replied. "She would win over neary anyone else because everyone liked her."

"Elias, your decision just put us at a disadvantage!" Mel pointed out. "Now the Temlin Tribe is going to pick us off until we're all gone!"

"Not unless they see that there are major threats on their tribe." Elias replied.

Meanwhile, the remaining Temlin members were off to the side, having a little conversation of their own.

"Well, THIS makes things a little interesting." Reginald said with a smirk. "We're actually AHEAD of Nago now."

"_Yeesh. I didn't think this would happen. Us ahead of Nago? That seems too good to be true." Marty grinned. "Now we may actually have a shot at getting one of us to the finals. I guess we can thank Elias for making this all possible, because if he didn't pull off that move at Tribal Council, Zoe probably would have been eliminated."_

"You still think we can get inside that actor's head, bunny-boy?" Sandy asked.

"I was, but now I think Elias is doing all the work for us." Reginald replied with a light laugh. "Maybe getting inside his head to work with us won't even be needed."

Everyone decided to turn in for the night, seeing as how it was getting late. Everyone went into the shelter and went to sleep a little more comfortably since there were only nine people left.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 26)**

"_Kida was voted out last night. This could spell trouble for us, but thankfully, Mel and I have a trump card up our sleevs." Crane admitted. "We're in an alliance with Marty that no one else knows about and we may be able to get him to turn on his tribe when he sees that there are major threats on his team."_

"Are you sure we'd be able to get him to just turn on the others, Crane?" Mel asked. "I mean, now that they're ahead, they'll probably use it to their advantage."

"But with us, Marty would be able to reach the finals by joining us." Crane pointed out. "We're the only real alliance partners Marty has left and he'll become more and more dependant on us as the days go by."

"I'm just not sure if it would work this early." Mel shrugged. "As much as I hate to say it, I think it would be easier to sway him once another person on Nago gets voted out."

"I'm not sure if we'd get the time to wait until then." Crane shook his head. "We need to get him on our side now. Even if we just got him it would still be enough to pull one over on Temlin."

Meanwhile, another alliance was talking, but for a completely different reason.

"We're ahead of Temlin now, Jonathan." Zoe said. "You think Reggie will work with us now that we're ahead?"

"It's a hard call, Zoe." Jonathan shook his head. "He could either see this as a chance to pick off the rest of Nago or a chance to dump one of us because we're ahead."

"_Sometimes I wish we would have voted off Reggie instead of Shee'Na. Jonathan and I know that he's going to get rid of us, but we don't know when he'll be taking the opportunity." Zoe explained. "He's not one to waste an opportunity when it's given to him, and right now he has two. All I can do is hope he picks the one that doesn't involve kicking us off…"_

"Well, what are we going to do in the meantime?" Zoe asked.

"Try to remain unsuspicious." Jonathan explained. "If Reginald finds out that we're onto him, then he'll dump one of us for sure."

Sandy suddenly appeared beside Jonathan. "Too late, pal. You fail epicly at trying to look unsuspicious." She accused with a cross look on her face. "I can see right through your lies and deceit."

"Uh…What?" Jonathan asked.

"I know you're working with the sand weavals. That stupid face of yours just screams 'I'm working for a bunch of sand weavals and am currently plotting the demise of everyone I know'." Sandy said, jabbing Jonathan in the chest.

"Uh…Sandy, you-"

"Where are they?!" Sandy shouted, grabbing Jonathan by the shirt and shaking him. "Where are the sand weavals?!"

"Over there." Jonathan said uneasily, pointing off in a random direction.

Sandy promptly released Jonathan and raced off in the direction Jonathan was pointing in, screaming a battle cry.

"_It's amazing what one can find out when one hides in the bushes. Let's see…Elias is secretly planning to turn the game around, Reggie's planning on dumping Jonathan & Zoe and Mel & Crane are trying to get into an alliance with Marty." Sandy laughed, counting off her fingers. "Am I going to say anything? Heck, no! It's way too much fun to pretend to be crazy all of the time…And…" She trailed off when her eyes became fixated on something on the ground. "Oh! That's shiny!" She said as she dove to the ground, vanishing off the screen and knocking the camera over._

"You think she knows anything?" Zoe asked as Sandy barreled over Marty on her way over to the other side of the campgrounds.

"If she DOES know something, she hides it extremely well." Jonathan shook his head.

Meanwhile, Reginald was off to the side by himself, once again pondering the current situation.

"_I'm not sure how this will work. Now that we're ahead of Nago, I can actually afford a loss and get rid of either Jonathan or Zoe." Reginald explained. "However, if I get rid of them now, chances are that the same thing will happen to us as it did to Nago and we'll lose several members in a row."_

"What to do…" Reginald pondered. "Maybe I should just lay low for a bit and see who wins the next Immunity Challenge before I start targeting people."

"**SAND WEAVALS!!!"** Sandy screamed as she dove at Reginald and tackled him off the rock he was sitting on. The crazy woman grabbed Reginald and shook him wildly, slamming his head into the ground a few times. "Tell me where the sand weavals are, rabbit!! Jonathan told me they were over here!"

Reginald quickly kicked Sandy off of him and sat up. Although he struggled a lot, he managed to keep his composure. "Sandy, the sand weavals are not around here. Jonathan was mistaken." He replied. "No, the sand weavals are just in the water over there."

"Death to the sand weavals!!" Sandy screamed as she raced down to the beach and dove headfirst into the water.

"There's my good deed for the day." Reginald shook his head.

D'looa, whom was searching around for the Hidden Immunity Idol (which, unbeknowest to her, Jonathan had already found), watched Sandy run off and turned to Reginald. "Why did you keep her around so long?" She asked.

"Because she was one of the strongest we had." Reginald said. "And by the way, it's going to take more than that to make me turn on a teammate."

D'looa shook her head and continued to search for the idol.

"_With Kida going, I realize that no one is safe. She definitely wasn't the strongest person going to Tribal Council last night, so I realize that whoever finds that idol will be needing it desperately." D'looa explained. "There's still been no trace of the idol yet, but since no one's played it as of yet, I assume that it's still in hiding. The biggest question is where it's hidden."_

The day dragged on and D'looa was searching for the idol the majority of the day. D'looa was searching just inside the jungle when she spotted Crane, Mel and Marty talking off to the side, out of sight from anyone else. Lifting an eyebrow, D'looa crept closer to listen in.

"You think we should turn on one of my tribemates next?" Marty asked.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you, Marty." Crane replied. "But remember that this is the only way for us to make the finals together."

"And let's face it. Jonathan and Sandy are stronger players than anyone left on our side." Mel reminded.

"That's true. Elias is no problem and D'looa is only a semi-threat." Crane added.

D'looa narrowed her eyes at the comment, but remained quiet as she continued to listen to the conversation.

"We need to face the facts, Marty. You're going to have to ditch the others on your team eventually if the three of us are going to the finals together." Mel pointed out.

Marty paused, then nodded. "Okay. Who should we target first?" He asked. "Sandy's the bigger Immunity threat."

"But Jonathan's already got a guaranteed vote with Zoe and vise versa." Crane said. "I think we should focus on splitting up their alliance first."

"_I guess I never clued in to the fact that I have to vote out the rest of my tribe in order to go to the finals." Marty scratched his head. "Don't think this means I'm going to blindside them all at once. Crane, Mel and I need to whittle away at both tribes in order to get an advantage over everyone else. The good thing about this is that no one knows about this."_

"_So Crane and Mel are in a secret alliance with Marty, are they? Hmm…They're also apparently planning to get the drop on everyone else." D'looa pondered. "If I want to survive, I'm going to need a new alliance, especially since the kids see me as a fairly big threat. The best thing about this is that I know exactly who I can go to for an alliance."_

Meanwhile, Elias was having a talk with Reginald, whom he had pictured as his biggest rival on the island.

"So you agree that we'd be able to turn the game around if we were given the chance?" Elias asked.

"Indeed I do." Reginald nodded. "In fact, I think your way of playing is actually pretty smart."

"You think so?" Elias asked with a smirk. "I figured that it would be best to get rid of bigger jury threats first and then focus on splitting up alliances."

"Yes. An excellent strategy to keep you from getting blindsided." Reginald nodded. "And there ARE a few alliances around. I'm guessing that we should focus on the alliance of Jonathan and Zoe first?"

"Yes. Crane and Mel aren't big threats at all." Elias shook his head. "We'll focus on Jonathan and Zoe first."

"_I'm glad Reginald decided to see things my way and form an alliance with me. This at least gets me out of the hole and into an alliance." Elias assured. "This is great. When the time comes, I'll get rid of him, but in the meantime, I'll be able to benefit from an alliance with the guy who's just as smart as I am."_

"_That actor has no idea just how badly I'm playing him." Reginald said with a smirk._

Eventually, night rolled in. Everyone decided to go to bed and be ready for the next day, knowing that there was a challenge ahead.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 27)**

"_Okay. I'm in a pretty tight spot right now. There's a few alliances around, and the secret alliance between Crane, Mel and Marty is going to complicate things. The three of them forming together could prove to be serious trouble later on." D'looa said. "I need an alliance before one of these alliances takes me out of the game."_

"Hey, Jonathan?" D'looa called out as she approached Jonathan, making sure he was alone and no one was watching.

"Oh. What's up, D'looa?" Jonathan asked.

"Actually, I'm here to discuss strategy. You and Zoe haven't been on a concrete alliance since the competition started." D'looa explained. "I'm here to make you an offer."

Jonathan tilted his head. "I'm listening."

"Look, we both know that we're potential threats to everyone else." D'looa explained. "I think we'd both benefit from an alliance."

"You mean that you'd like to join Zoe and I in an alliance?" Jonathan asked.

"That's what I'm proposing." D'looa nodded. "I mean, we have to face the facts. You and I are going to need all the help we can get."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Who are other people going to take to the finals?" D'looa quizzed. "You and me or the kids?"

This seemed to get Jonathan thinking. The brown-haired man looked deep in thought for a while.

"_D'looa was right. I'm a physical threat, so if I want a loyal alliance member outside of Zoe, it'll have to be someone that's an equal threat." Jonathan admitted. "Maybe it's high time that I actually got an alliance going. At least it would give me a better shot at going further into the game."_

"You know what? That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." Jonathan admitted. "The two of us are indeed two of the strongest here since Barney got eliminated. Maybe we COULD benefit from an alliance."

D'looa grinned. "Really?" She asked. "You're okay with it?"

"Yeah, we'll see how far it'll take us." Jonathan nodded. "I think Zoe would totally be up for it as well. Just give me a chance to relay the message to her."

Meanwhile, Crane walked over to Elias, seeing that he was alone. The actor saw the rudie coming over and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"We're voting for Jonathan if he doesn't win Immunity." Crane explained. "Zoe if he does."

"Why do you sound so determined to get my vote?" Elias asked.

"Because we're actually BEHIND now thanks to you. We need your vote here." Crane reminded. "And I think even you can admit that Jonathan and Zoe's alliance is too tight to leave alone."

Elias paused, then nodded. "It WOULD be incredibly stupid to let them both go into the finals." He explained. "Okay. For now, unless I can come up with a better target, you've got my vote."

"I don't want any jokes coming from you, Elias. You've proven that we need your vote, so if you don't vote with us, you'll be in serious trouble." Crane threatened.

"_Normally, I wouldn't take too kindly to being threatened like that, but the more I think about it, the more I agree with Crane." Elias said. "We need to take both Jonathan and Zoe out to eliminate the guaranteed votes one would get from the other. Alliance-wise, those two are the biggest threats here."_

"We've got some treemail, guys!" Marty called out, coming over with a letter.

"Is it a Reward or Immunity Challenge?" D'looa asked.

"It says 'Prepare for a Reward Challenge that will have you hauling around extra weight'." Marty read.

"Another physical challenge." Reginald muttered. "Things just aren't going my way for challenges."

**(Reward Challenge)**

The nine remaining contestants walked out onto the beach, where they saw their tribe mat. Walking over to it, everyone stepped on to await instructions.

"Welcome to your next Reward Challenge, La'nooba. This challenge will involve a combination of strength, speed and wit in order to win." SSBFreak explained. People like Reginald and Mel looked more interested when the host said wit would be involved. "When I start the challenge, you all have to run across the beach and pick up a sack of letters. However, to get there, you have to cross one of these beams sitting a few feet off the ground. Once you get the sack, you must then turn around and come back here, carrying the sack across the beam as you go. Keep in mind that if you fall off the beam going either way, you have to go back and attempt to come across again. Once you get back here, you must then open the sacks and unscramble the letters inside to reveal the words that they spell out. The first one to finish the word jumble correctly wins reward, which is a day-long trip to a tropical resort across the island."

Everyone looked at each other, wanting the reward and determined to finish first.

"If you'll all split off into the nine available lanes, we'll start." SSBFreak explained.

Everyone quickly chose a lane and lined up beside each other.

"Okay, for Reward, survivors ready…Go!!" SSBFreak said.

Everyone was off like a shot, racing down their respective lanes to get to the beams. D'looa, Jonathan and Sandy took an early lead, sprinting ahead of the others as they got to the beams well before anyone else.

"It's time to show these people why everyone back home calls me 'twinkle-toes'!" Sandy laughed as she got onto the beam and started making her way across.

"Uh…Sandy, that's not a good thing!" Jonathan pointed out.

"It isn't?" Sandy asked. She promptly fell off the beam as if to prove Jonathan's point. "Aw, nutbunnies!"

As Sandy raced to the start of the beam again, the rest of the contestants reached the beams and started to make their way across.

Jonathan staggered his way across the beam, but fell off of it halfway across. Near the start of the beams, Elias also took a tumble. "Crap! I almost had it!" Jonathan cursed himself.

Zoe staggered back and forth a couple of times, but managed to pick up the pace and slip past Mel and Crane, whom fell off their beams and quickly went back to the start. In the end, the only ones to actually make it across in one go were D'looa, Zoe, Reginald and Marty.

D'looa made it to the other side first and quickly raced over to the bag that was sitting aside. Right after she did, Zoe hit the ground as well. By the time the skunk girl was at the sack, D'looa was already carting it back to the beam. By now, Reginald and Marty had made it across.

Jonathan tried making his way across again. He looked over at Sandy and saw that she was managed to make it across as well. Jonathan made it across the beam further than the previous attempt, but still submitted to gravity and fell off. Sandy, on the other hand, managed to make it across.

D'looa quickly found the sack of letters to be heavier than she thought, and fell off her beam during the return trip almost instantly. Zoe, carrying her heavy bag, stepped onto the beam and staggered back and forth a couple of times before falling off.

Reginald and Marty both managed to get onto the beam and tried to carry their bags of letters across. However, they both fell off the beam, although Reginald made it a little further than Marty did. This gave Crane and Mel the time to make it across the the beam and grab their respective bags.

D'looa attempted to make it across again, but she still wasn't used to the weight of her bag and fell off again. Sandy attempted to go across, but fell off promptly, landing flat on her face.

As Jonathan and Elias made it across long after everyone else did, Zoe stared at the beam. She took a deep breath before charging forward. Jumping onto the beam, Zoe raced across it with the sack slung over her shoulder. Not wasting any time getting across, Zoe didn't have the time to lose her balance and made it across to the other side of the beam in record time.

"Zoe's across!" SSBFreak said. "The rest of you need to step things up!"

Zoe, seeing that she was in the lead, raced over to where she had started and dumped the letters from inside the bag. The skunk girl's face fell when she saw how many of them there were.

"How the heck do they expect us to make anything out of this mess?" She asked as she started looking through the letters. "There's a few O's, a couple of L's, a B, a T, a couple of N's. What is this all supposed to spell?"

Deciding to take her time going across the beam, D'looa tiptoed across, trying to keep her balance, as Jonathan passed her. The brown-haired man took another tumble off his beam and Elias started making his way across.

"I don't understand how that shrimpy skunk girl could get across so quickly." Elias shook his head. He wobbled back and forth a couple of times before falling off the beam.

Crane decided to try Zoe's strategy and raced across the beam. However, he quickly slipped and fell off halfway, the beam slamming into his crotch. Crane let out a shout of pain before weakly tumpling off the beam and landing painfully on his back.

"Ouch. Uh…That looked like it hurt." Mel said. "You okay, Crane?"

"Yeah. I'm good." The suddenly-higher-pitched voice of Crane replied.

Sandy didn't even look like she was trying anymore. In fact, she looked like she was purposefully falling off the beam everytime she got on it just to see how painful she could make her falls look. The black-haired woman hit the ground again, but she just sat up and laughed.

"Oh, that hurt so good!" Sandy laughed. "I wanna do that again!"

Everyone tried to ignore Sandy, but she ended up distracting a few people enough to make them fall off the beam again. Reginald cursed as he hit the ground just after D'looa dropped again.

Zoe, in the meantime, frantically worked with the letters, trying to figure out a logical word that they all spelled out.

"I can't even think of a word that has this many letters!" Zoe said, grabbing her head in frustration. "…Wait. Maybe the solution is more than one word…But that doesn't help me!"

Passing over the still-downed-and-very-much-in-pain'ed form of Crane, Sandy raced back onto the beam for another go. She made it about halfway before falling off again.

Mel and D'looa, on the other hand, were taking their time in making their way across. After having taken previous falls off the beam, the two girls finally managed to make it across the beam.

"Mel and D'looa are across! Zoe's still struggling with the letters!" SSBFreak announced.

Zoe started to panic as Mel and D'looa raced over and dumped their letters over their respective starting areas. The skunk girl looked at her letters, wondering what she could possibly spell from all of this. However, she saw a particular word spelled out amidst the mess and a light went on in her head. Looking at the letters, she saw that all of the needed letters were present and got to work.

D'looa scratched her head. "I wonder what they expect us to spell with all of this…" She pondered.

Mel was having similar problems, and just started putting together words that fit in her head, hoping that she was right. "Something tells me that I'm way off…" She said.

"We have a winner! The game is over!"

Just as Marty and Elias made it across the beam, everyone heard SSBFreak make the announcement. Everyone looked and saw that a very relieved Zoe was standing over three words spelled out with her letters: NAGO, TEMLIN and LANOOBA.

"Zoe wins Reward!" SSBFreak said.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Reward, Zoe. You will be able to go to the resort for the day and take a break from the tribe." SSBFreak told Zoe before looking at the rest of the contestants. "However, we'll let you take one person with you. Which one will you take?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Zoe asked with a smile. "Jonathan."

Jonathan smirked as he walked off the mat and over to join Zoe. SSBFreak nodded as he looked at the others.

"Zoe and Jonathan will be gone for the rest of the day and will rejoin the rest of you at the Immunity Challenge tomorrow." SSBFreak explained. "The rest of you can head back to camp."

As Zoe and Jonathan left the area a different way to go to the waiting helicopter, the other seven contestants left the area to go back to camp.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Zoe won Reward and she took Jonathan with her. This is good. Now I can actually start relaying a plan out in the open without having to worry about them." Reginald said with a smirk. "Those two are too tight to leave alone, and this far into the game it could get dangerous to let them be."_

"You're willing to get rid of Jonathan or Zoe?" Crane asked.

"Yes. Those two have been inseperable since the start." Reginald explained. "You have to agree with me that letting them both go deep enough into the game would be stupid."

"Actually, I'm surprised that you're thinking the same thing we were thinking." Crane pointed out, referring to himself and Mel. "So you agree that we'll vote for Jonathan first?"

"Yes. He's definitely the bigger threat." Reginald nodded. "If he wins Immunity, we'll vote for Zoe."

"Well, it's good to have you on our side this time." Crane shook his head. "I just hope that Sandy will be just as willing."

"I'm certain that even she's aware that she's a threat." The lanky Rabbid pointed out. "If we decide to keep her around, she's sure to vote with us. How about I go over and tell her about this? You two can go and convince D'looa."

"Sure. We can do that." Crane nodded.

"_Reginald seems intent on separating the alliance of Jonathan and Zoe. I admit that they're a threat, but they don't know that I'm currently in an alliance with them." D'looa explained. "At least I hope so. Hopefully, Jonathan will relay the message to Zoe while they're at the resort."_

Elias was searching around for the idol, completely unknowing of where it was.

"_Everyone's been searching for the idol for the last number of days and no one's been able to find it yet." Elias mused. "I'm almost certain that someone's found it by now, but the biggest question is who has it…"_

"I have to rule out Sandy right away. There's no chance she'd be able to find the idol. Marty and Zoe don't seem to be acting like they've found it. Crane seems like a plausible possibility." Elias mused. "On the other hand, so do Jonathan, D'looa and Reginald."

Elias sat down and started pondering. "This isn't good. If someone other than me has the idol, then there's the chance that my game could fall flat." He mused to himself. "I guess it depends on who has it."

**(Resort)**

"Wow! This place is so amazing!" Zoe said as she and Jonathan walked through the outside garden of the resort, looking at the lush vegetation.

"This will definitely be a nice chance sleeping in a room here instead of that shelter back at camp." Jonathan said with a smirk. "Hey, thanks for bringing me along, Zoe."

"Who else would I take? You and I have been a team since the start!" Zoe said.

"_Zoe bringing me along is good. Now not only will we get some time to strategize without having to worry about the others breathing down our backs, but I can tell Zoe about D'looa." Jonathan explained. "I'm sure that Zoe will be happy to have a concrete alliance at long last."_

After going on a quick tour, the two friends ended up at a second-floor balcony overlooking the pool. The two walked outside as Jonathan was talking to Zoe about what was going on.

"So D'looa wants to join us?" Zoe asked.

Jonathan nodded. "She figured that threats should join forces because we'd probably get picked off anyway." He explained. "You have to admit that it's a good idea. I don't think anyone would want to take either of us to the finals."

"Yeah. They'd want to take someone who's less of a threat." Zoe nodded. "I think D'looa joining us is a great idea. So it's just the three of us?"

"Yeah. If we can survive a few more Tribal Councils, we'd be able to take everyone by surprise." Jonathan nodded.

"_This is great. Jonathan and I have slipped by without having to join a concrete alliance, and now that the chance has come up, we're taking it." Zoe nodded. "D'looa could be a major help to us with an extra vote, and we'll definitely keep her around if it means that we'll go deeper into the game."_

Zoe suddenly caught a glimpse of what was down at the pool and her eyes widened. "Hey, Jonathan! Look!" She pointed out. "Is that who I think it is?"

Jonathan looked down at the pool and saw everyone eliminated from the game pre-merge. Nikko and Tork (whose broken arm was currently in a sling) were relaxing in chairs, watching in amusement as an annoyed Shee'Na shoved Bonnie into the pool. Bonnie started shouting angrily at the Klingon woman until Lilah and Jake started bouncing a beach ball off of her head in a strange game of catch.

"I don't believe it. They sent us to the Loser's Resort for the day." Jonathan said with a chuckle. "I honestly wasn't expecting that."

"_Wow! This place is seriously where those six people get to relax for the rest of the contest?" Zoe said as she looked around her room. "They have it so good over here! Kinda makes me wonder if the jury members will be going somewhere special after getting eliminated as well…"_

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"Are you sure voting off Jonathan or Zoe would be a good idea?" D'looa asked. "If you ask me, Sandy's the bigger threat."

"D'looa, Sandy may be a threat, but she's not really on an alliance." Mel replied. "We need to separate Jonathan and Zoe because they're an even bigger threat together."

"Whereas if we don't eliminate Sandy, it could seriously come back to bite us." D'looa countered.

"_I don't know why D'looa is so apprehensive about this plan. I mean, I know she confided in Jonathan a umber of days ago, but she doesn't seem intent on voting with us." Mel noted. "We admit that Sandy will be getting eliminated soon enough, but right now, the main focus should be on spitting the strongest alliance."_

"D'looa, we think that this is the best strategy right now." Crane jumped in. "Reginald's good with it and he'll be getting Elias to vote as well."

D'looa bit her lip. "What about Sandy and Marty?" She asked. "Where do they stand on this?"

"Marty's willing to split the alliance and Sandy's just glad that we won't be targeting her." Crane replied. "That pretty much got her vote right there."

"Well…Okay. I'll think about it." D'looa nodded.

With that, Crane and Mel left the Twi'lek woman alone, still unsure as to how loyal she would be to them.

"What do you think, Crane?" Mel asked. "I'm not sure if we'll have her vote."

"I don't get it. There has to be a reason for her being so apprehensive." Crane shook his head. "I mean, when we were starting off, she'd side with us no problem."

Meanwhile, a very confused Sandy was sniffing around the camp like a bloodhound, crawling on all fours.

"_I don't get it. My nose has never failed me. A few days ago, I could smell the Immunity Idol coming from somewhere by the beach, but now it's coming from somewhere else. It's almost like the idol sprouted legs and found another hiding place." Sandy said, scratching her head. "There's only one logical explanation…The sand weavals have hidden the idol and now no one is safe! I swear on the grave of my left bunny slipper that I'll find those monsters!"_

Sandy suddenly heard someone coming. She let out a quiet gasp. "The sand weavals!" She whispered as she fearfully dove into a nearby bush. After she had gone, Elias and Reginald walked into view, unknowing that Sandy was in the bush.

"Anyone watching us?" Elias asked.

"No. It's good that Jonathan and Zoe are at that resort, though." Reginald shook his head. "They'd probably be watching me like a hawk."

"Okay. So everyone seems intent on splitting Jonathan and Zoe. I guess that means that things will go smoothly at Tribal Council no matter who wins Immunity." Elias nodded. "So what were you thinking of doing after getting rid of those two?"

"Sandy's a big Immunity threat, but Crane and Mel are just as big because of their alliance." Reginald replied. "I think it would be wise to take one of the kids to the finals, but we need to split those two up."

"And then take out Sandy afterwards?" Elias asked.

"Right. In the end, it would probably be best to take Marty to the finals." Reginald explained. "I think it would be safe to say that he hasn't done enough to get any votes from the jury."

"_I'm glad Reginald decided to join forces with me. Now the two of us have a flawless plan to reach the end." Elias said. "If we take someone to the end who hasn't done anything big throughout the game, then no one will vote for them. And the best part is that no one will suspect us being in an alliance."_

"_I know something they don't think I know! I know something they don't think I know!" Sandy sang/taunted as she rocked to and fro on the rock she was sitting on._

Night eventually rolled in. Everyone still at camp went to bed early, anticipating the challenge the next day.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 28)**

"_Well, we're going to have another challenge today. Obviously Immunity." Marty noted. "The plan seems to be that we'll be getting rid of either Jonathan or Zoe, but in a game like this there are no guarantees. Anything can happen, because I found that out myself when Shee'Na was stupidly eliminated pre-merge."_

As he and Mel were walking to check on the mail, Marty decided to speak up. "Hey, Mel?"

"Yeah, Marty?' Mel asked back.

"You sure this will work?" Marty double-checked. "I mean, voting off either Jonathan or Zoe?"

"Why wouldn't it work?" Mel asked. "Everyone seems okay with it."

"But on the other hand, the Hidden Immunity Idol hasn't been located yet, no matter how hard we look." Marty reminded. "That tells me that someone found it."

Mel paused. "You think Jonathan or Zoe found it?" She asked.

"And if they did, they would use it at Tribal Council." Marty pointed out. "And if they did, all votes against them would be negated."

"But remember this, Marty. You, me and Crane are on an alliance of people that aren't physical threats." Mel said with a smirk. "If the idol is played, it would most likely be against someone a lot stronger than us."

"I guess that makes sense." Marty shrugged.

"_Marty made a good point. We don't have the game won yet and we're still not in the clear." Mel admitted. "Our biggest asset right now is the fact that pretty much everyone left is stronger than the three of us, but we're not going to let it get to our heads."_

The two reached the treemail box and Marty stuck his hand into it. He pulled out a letter and showed it to Mel. "Looks like we've got treemail." He pointed out.

"And this means that we'll be reunited with Jonathan and Zoe." Mel agreed. "Let's take it to the others."

The two quickly took the treemail back to the others, whom waited as Marty read the letter.

"'Follow the directions to the Immunity Challenge. Time to brush up on a classic sport'." Marty read.

"Another sport challenge." Elias noted, raising an eyebrow behind his shades. "I wonder when production will make a task that I can actually benefit from."

"Sorry, but over-exaggerated acting and drinking coffee wouldn't make for good TV." Sandy said with a smirk. Elias smacked her upside the head.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The seven castaways walked into a clearing in the jungle and over to the black mat sitting on the ground. Once everyone was on, SSBFreak started talking.

"Before we start the chellenge, let's bring in Zoe and Jonathan, whom just came back from their resort trip." SSBFreak explained.

Everyone watched as Jonathan and Zoe emerged from the jungle and walked over to the mat to wait with everyone else.

"Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, La'nooba. The premise of this challenge is simple. We just want to see you guys throw some basketballs." SSBFreak explained, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Everyone saw that there was a line of nine basketball hoops set up not too far away. It looked like there was a counter built into each one. "I'm going to give you two minutes, and you guys need to shoot more baskets than anyone else within that time limit. There's an electronic counter on each board that will register the score when the ball goes through the net, so that will eliminate miscalculation and cheating. The one that scores the most baskets within the two-minute time period will win Immunity and will be safe at tonight's Tribal Council."

Everyone looked at each other and realized that the challenge, despite being sport-oriented, didn't really benefit anyone there. Under SSBFreak's guidance, the nine castaways chose a basket and lined up to prepare to start. Everyone had been given a basketball, which would fall into a net and roll back to the thrower no matter where on the board it hit.

"Okay, for Immunity, survivors ready…Go!"

Everyone quickly threw their first basketball at their targets. In a somewhat comedic way, no one managed to score a point and all of the basketballs bounced off the boards at almost the same time.

"Oh! De-nied!" Sandy laughed as her ball landed in her recovery net and rolled back to her.

D'looa was quick to make up for her first shot and scooped up her ball, throwing it straight into the basket. "Okay. Just keep this up for a couple of minutes." She said. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Everyone was trying to focus on shooting baskets, so no one paid any attention to each other. D'looa, Jonathan and Crane were doing the best so far, having scored more baskets than the others. Elias, Sandy and Reginald were catching up while Mel, Marty and Zoe were a bit behind.

SSBFreak watched everyone shoot baskets for a little bit before deciding to start asking questions. "Crane, are you any good at basketball?" He asked.

"I seem to recall asking you not to break my concentration during a challenge." Crane muttered as he tossed his ball at the net, bouncing it off the backboard. "Crap!"

"Uh…Sandy, why are you throwing your ball over your shoulder?" SSBFreak asked when he saw that Sandy had now turned to face the hoop with her back.

"I did this all the time in high school." Sandy replied with a shrug. "For some reason, I was a better shot when I couldn't see the net."

As if to prove this, Sandy tossed the basketball over her shoulder without looking, making it go straight through the hoop cleanly. Everyone else chose to ignore this and continued to shoot basketballs.

"Elias, how do you think you'll fare with this challenge?" SSBFreak asked.

"Crane's right." Elias said as his ball bounced off the hoop. "Are you TRYING to throw us off our game here?"

"Hey, cut me some slack. The challenges are the only time aside from Tribal Council I get any lines during the episodes." SSBFreak said in defense.

The clock continued to tick and more baskets were shot. D'looa now had the lead, but Jonathan and Crane were pretty close. Sandy had managed to build herself a lead over Reginald and Elias while Zoe had managed to seperate herself a little from Mel and Marty.

"Marty, you're not doing too well here." SSBFreak noted. "Why is that?"

"Basketball is pretty much the only sport that isn't popular in the Mushroom Kingdom." Marty muttered as he missed another shot. "Baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis, sure. But very rarely does anyone play basketball."

"D'looa, you seem to be in a good position on the other hand." SSBFreak pointed out. "Where's this skill coming from?"

"A jedi needs accuracy constantly." D'looa replied. "Even when not using force powers, one needs to remain focused at all times."

"Hmm…Hey, Reggie-" SSBFreak said.

"Reginald!!" Reginald shouted as he threw his ball. His shout threw him off guard and his ball bounced off the hoop. "Gah! Now look at what you made me do!"

SSBFreak blinked a couple of times before moving onto the next person. "Zoe, what's you strategy going into this challenge?" He asked.

"For the most part, just hope I don't screw up." Zoe shook her head. "But unless someone at the front of the pack starts missing shots, there's no way I'll be able to catch up now."

The challenge continued and the scores continued to spread out, although the contestants were still in almost the same positions. The only differences were that Sandy was catching up on the leaders and Zoe was approaching the middle of the pack for scores.

Seeing that the challenge only had around forty-five seconds left, SSBFreak decided to ask one more round of questions. "Reginald, the challenge is almost over." He explained. "You think you can catch up?"

"Not unless I can nail every basket from now on and they miss every basket." Reginald shook his head. "I'm not paying attention to the scores, but I think it's safe to assume that there are people a good ways ahead of me."

"Mel, You're not having a very good challenge." SSBFreak noted. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I'm not an athlete. I'm a thinker." Mel replied. "I've never really been good at sports."

"Jonathan, how do you think you're doing?" SSBFreak asked.

"I dunno. I'm not looking at the scores." Jonathan replied. "I'm just looking at my own and trying to make sure that I get as many baskets as I can."

Everyone realized that they were in the final stretch of the challenge and started to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, this did little to help a few of the contestants, because the shortened time used to take aim usually cost them the point. Eventually, the time was up and a buzzer went to signal the end of the challenge. Zoe managed to shoot at the basket one more time just as the buzzer went and she managed to get one final point.

"Okay everyone, the challenge is over." SSBFreak said. "Let's view the scores." He looked at the scores each of the contestants got and started to count off the scores.

"Marty, that wasn't your best challenge. You only managed to get 20 baskets in the two minutes provided." Marty sighed and nodded, accepting his fate.

"Mel, I'm afraid you didn't do much better. You only got 26 baskets." Mel nodded as well, knowing that she didn't win.

"Zoe, that last shot didn't help you, but it got you closer to the middle of the pack. 32 baskets is what you got." Zoe shrugged. She wasn't expecting to win, anyway.

"Elias, you fell behind a bit at the end. You scored 36 baskets." Elias shook his head, knowing he could have done better.

"Reginald, you managed to beat Elias, but the others got a lot more than you did. You finished with 40 baskets." Reginald looked indifferent.

"That leaves D'looa, Jonathan, Crane and Sandy." SSBFreak said. "I have to admit that Sandy managed to catch up to you guys, but was it enough to win?"

The four looked at each other, wondering who had won.

"Our second-place contestant, D'looa, scored five baskets less than the winner…The winner, with 55 baskets…Is Jonathan!" SSBFreak announced. "Jonathan wins Immunity!"

Jonathan jumped in surprise and cheered. Zoe cheered with him, but a few of the others looked a little upset.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Jonathan." SSBFreak said as he handed the Immunity Necklace to Jonathan. "You are safe tonight."

"Great." Jonathan nodded in satisfaction.

SSBFreak turned t the others. "Jonathan is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing you all at Tribal Council, where you'll be voting someone off." He explained. "You'll have the afternoon to decide, so you can all head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Jonathan won Immunity, but it hardly matters, even though he's a bigger threat." Reginald shrugged. "The others are good with voting Zoe off tonight. This will split up the tight alliance Jonathan has with her and make Jonathan more vulnerable for later on."_

"So we're voting for Zoe, then?" Crane double-checked. "I want to make sure that we've got your vote."

"This has been my plan since we hit the merge. I'm not backing out now." Reginald replied. "Why would you think that I would double-cross you in favour of Jonathan and Zoe?"

"You can never be too sure." Crane replied, folding his arms. "You DID vote off your strongest player pre-merge."

"Surprisingly, that wasn't my idea." Reginald insisted. "So I can assure you that you have my vote tonight. Sandy's good with it as well."

"_Do I trust Reginald? No. But he DOES seem intent on splitting up the swing votes, which gives me a reason to temporarily trust him." Crane admitted. "Once Tribal Council is done, however, I'll be needing to keep an eye on him."_

"_I'm actually surprised I managed to win an accuracy challenge without my glasses." Jonathan pointed out. "But the hoop was close enough for me to make out clearly, so it wasn't like I had any real problems with it. But still, I managed to win, and now that I did, I'm definitely going to put a plan into action."_

"This is good, Zoe." Jonathan said with a grin, admiring the necklace. "Now we'll be safe for another night."

Zoe sighed. "No, Jonathan. YOU'RE safe." She replied. "Now that you've got Immunity, they'll vote me off. Not even with D'looa's added vote would we have enough votes to stay alive."

Jonathan smirked. "Don't worry, Zoe. We're not going anywhere. Just vote for who I say to vote for." He instructed.

"_I don't know what Jonathan meant, but I feel that I can trust him." Zoe said. "If he's got an idea, then I'll go along with it. I just wish he told me what it was…"_

**(Tribal Council)**

Nine people entered Tribal Council, carrying lit torches. Finding their spots, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start talking.

"Before we start, let's bring out the members of the jury." SSBFreak said. "Angie, Barney and Kida, voted out at the last Tribal Council."

Everyone watched as Angie and Barney entered Tribal Council, a familiar Rilgarian following them. Kida was now wearing a tie-dye tee shirt, a pair of shorts, and was wearing a sleek visor over her eyes. The three walked over to the jury bench and sat down.

"They won't address you and you are not to address them. They're here just to watch." SSBFreak explained before starting his questions. "Jonathan, you won Immunity. Would you be a threat without it?"

Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know, really." He admitted. "I mean, I have someone constantly on my back, but I don't think he's been able to get any votes since we made the merge."

"Dude's going to be surprised." Kida mused, earning nods from Angie and Barney.

Reginald gave a smirk and SSBFreak noticed this. "You know something about that, Reginald?" He asked.

"I'll admit that I've been wanting to turn the tables on Jonathan because of him unwanting to join a concrete alliance." Reginald said. "I think he underestimates me."

"Sandy, you're one of the strongest people left." SSBFreak explained. "Do you feel at risk?"

"Hey, I've been approached about voting someone else off." Sandy replied. "As long as it ain't me, I'm all for it."

"Mel, who's going home?" SSBFreak asked.

"Someone on a strong alliance." Mel replied. "If we let the alliance members go deep into the game, they could turn things around on us."

"She pretty much just gave away the person's identity." Angie shook her head.

"Not like there's any other tight alliances aside from Mel's." Barney added.

Zoe sighed. Once again, SSBFreak noticed. "You think it's you, Zoe?"

"Who else? Jonathan and I have been inseperable since we started." Zoe replied.

"Well, I think that's enough questions. Before I continue, I have to ask." SSBFreak said. "Jonathan, will you be giving up Immunity tonight?"

Jonathan appeared to be in deep thought for a few seconds before standing up. He removed his necklace and tied it around the neck of the person next to him. "I feel safe enough. I'll give it to Zoe." He said.

Everyone was shocked as Jonathan took his seat again. Even Zoe looked completely baffled.

"Okay. Zoe is safe and cannot be voted out. With that, it's time to vote." SSBFreak explained. "Sandy, you're up."

Sandy stood up and skipped out of the hut to go down to the voting table. The black-haired woman arrived at the table and wrote down a name, silent for once as she placed her ballot into the urn.

Reginald smirked as he voted and showed it to the camera. "That was very nice of you, Jonathan." He said, having voted for Jonathan. "Unfortunately, it was also very stupid."

Still surprised, D'looa approached the table and cast her vote. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jonathan." She said.

Crane approached the table and wrote down a name. "Why did you just do that?" He asked, having voted for Jonathan.

"Somehow, I don't think I'm going to like this." Mel shook her head as she cast her vote and placed it in the urn.

Jonathan calmly approached the table and wrote down a name. Giving a smirk, the brown-haired man shoved his ballot into the urn.

"Interesting turn of events." Elias said with a smirk, writing a name down. "At least the game will be a little easier."

"Why do I feel like this isn't going to go the way we want it to?" Marty asked aloud as he placed his vote in the urn.

Zoe approached the table, sporting the necklace Jonathan had just given her. "Jonathan…I hope you've got a plan…" She said.

Once everyone had gone, SSBFreak left the hut and returned with the urn. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forth their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "If anyone has the-"

"Um…Actually, I have something." Jonathan cut the host off, reaching into his shirt. "A little something called a _**HIDDEN IMMUNITY IDOL!!**_"

Everyone stared in shock once again when they saw Jonathan pull the extra necklace from within his shirt.

"No way!" Angie said.

"Jonathan had it?!" Barney asked. Kida was laughing and clapping at the turn of events.

Jonathan walked up to SSBFreak and gave him the necklace. SSBFreak inspected the necklace for a few seconds before nodding. "This is it. All votes cast against Jonathan are now void." He explained as Jonathan returned to his seat. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote, Jonathan. Doesn't count." Jonathan smirked.

"Jonathan. Doesn't count." Zoe was grinning happily, pleased that they were both safe.

"Jonathan. Doesn't count." D'looa shook her head with a smile, surprised.

"Jonathan. Doesn't count." Everyone else started to look a little nervous.

"Jonathan. Doesn't count." The jury was now looking interested, wondering how the remaining votes went.

"Jonathan. Doesn't count." Everyone else was wondering who would be getting eliminated since they had all voted for Jonathan.

"…Sandy." This took the crazy woman by surprise. For once, she looked extremely nervous.

"Reginald." The rabbit's eyes widened. Realizing that there was only one vote left, Sandy and Reginald exchanged glances. "Final vote, fourth member of the jury and tenth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Reginald. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained, showing a vote with the word 'Reggie' on it (including a little smiley face).

Reginald's eye twitched a couple of times. He looked at Jonathan for a couple of seconds. Everyone expected an outburst, but he simply sighed and stood up, grabbing his torch and bringing it over to the host.

"The tribe has spoken." SSBFreak explained, extinguishing Reginald's flame. "It's time for you to go, Reggie."

"For the last freaking time! My name is…" Reginald trailed off, realizing he was fighting a battle he wouldn't win. He sighed angrily. "Heck with it…" He muttered as he walked out of the hut.

Once Reginald was gone, SSBFreak turned to the remaining castaways. "Reginald wasn't expecting that, but I don't think anyone was, to be frank." He explained. "The Hidden Immunity Idol has been played, so from this point on, no one is safe. Keep that in mind for the future, because things are really getting down to the wire. You can all head back to camp."

The remaining eight contestants picked up their torches and walked out of Tribal Council, Jonathan bringing up the rear. Sure, he used up the idol, but he had managed to accomplish two things at once: Keep his alliance safe for another episode and eliminate the one person that wanted him gone the most. Sure, his alliance was still outnumbered, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

"_I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset that I got eliminated, but at least I can say that it took a big move and the Hidden Immunity Idol to get rid of me." Reginald said. "I'm pleased with how I did, and I probably could have made it all the way if it weren't for that stupid idol. Well, I know who's going to be getting my vote, though. I just hope that they'll survive until the finals."_

**Voting History:**

**Jonathan – Sandy, Reginald, Elias, Mel, Crane and Marty (NOT COUNTED)**

**Reginald – Jonathan and Zoe**

**Sandy – D'looa**

Author's Note: I wanted Reginald to go out with a bang because he'd be eliminated over the major alliances. I figured that Jonathan finding the idol would be enough to do him in.


	12. Days 29 to 30

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Jonathan played the idol at Tribal Council and voted out Reginald. I'm curious as to why Jonathan would vote him off over some of the others, but at least he, Zoe and I are still together for at least a few more days." D'looa said. "And the best part was that I ended up voting for Sandy, which probably told everyone else that I wasn't in on Jonathan's plan, so our secret alliance is safe for the time being."_

As the other remaining contestants walked off towards the campsite, D'looa pulled Jonathan and Zoe aside. "Why did you guys focus on taking out Reginald?" D'looa asked. "He wasn't really the biggest threat, so was using the idol on him a good idea?"

"Reggie's been breathing down our necks for a long time." Jonathan dismissed. "That and he was probably the smartest person here. He probably would have been the one to figure our alliance out first."

"But the main thing is that we're all safe and no one knows that we're in an alliance." Zoe agreed. "So whom should we target next?"

"I still say Sandy." D'looa said. "She's the biggest threat."

"Or we could go after Mel and Crane's alliance with Marty." Jonathan added. "More numbers means more jury votes for the survivors."

"_Okay. Now that our biggest worry is out, we need to focus on whom would be beter to take further into the game." Jonathan said. "There's Elias, whom could be good with playing people, Sandy, physically the strongest one left, or an alliance of three non-physical threats."_

"I say we talk about this tomorrow." Zoe suggested. "If the others see that we're taking too long to get back to the shelter, they may start getting ideas."

Jonathan and D'looa agreed with the skunk girl and the three of them made their way back to the shelter.

"_I'm amazed that I've made it as far as I have, but I'm not going to let this all get to my head." Zoe informed. "I can still become a target when I least expect it, so I need to keep my guard up and hope that Jonathan, D'looa and I are able to survive the odds and manage to outlast the other five contestants."_

Everyone quickly went to bed, everyone deciding to start thinking strategies in the morning.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 29)**

"_Sometimes I feel like I'm constantly dodging a bullet with these Tribal Councils. With Reginald leaving, that makes three allies that I've lost." Elias noted. "And for some reason, I get kept over them. Not that I'm complaining, but I'm clearly a bigger physical threat than those that were kicked off before me."_

"The only problem now is that I don't know if anyone left will team up with me." Elias mused to himself. "Jonathan & Zoe are too big of threats and Sandy's just as big. I could try teaming up with the kids, but Crane and Mel hate me."

This process of elimination left Elias with D'looa and Marty. Unfortunately, he didn't really see himself teaming up with either of them.

"D'looa is probably still mad at me for voting off Kida, so she's out. The only logical partner for me would be Marty." Elias mused. "All I can do is hope that he hasn't joined anyone yet."

Seeing Marty fishing by the beach, Elias made his way over. "Say, Marty. I was wondering if you'd give me a minute of your time." He said.

Marty lifted a non-existant eyebrow. "Uh…Sure." He replied.

"Look, I think it's obvious that we both need an alliance." Elias replied. "There are a couple of strong alliances here and I really think we need to take them out if we want to survive here."

"So you're suggesting that we should team up to take everyone else out?" Marty asked.

"That's what I'm proposing. The alliances need to be taken out or else they'll control the game."

"_Elias coming to me for an alliance means that he's not aware of my alliance with Crane and Mel, which is a good thing." Marty explained. "If he isn't aware of the alliance, I don't think anyone is."_

"It's very tempting. I'll definitely think about it." Marty told Elias.

"I hope you'll make the right choice, because at this point in the game, an alliance can either make you or break you." Elias explained.

After Elias was gone, Marty quickly went down to the beach, where Crane and Mel were fishing. "Hey, guys? Elias just came up to me and asked if I could do an alliance with him." Marty explained.

"He did?" Mel asked. "I guess that means that he isn't onto us."

"Wait. This is actually a good idea, Marty." Crane explained. "You can pretend to go along with Elias' ideas and then you can tell us what he's planning when he isn't looking."

"So we can actually have an advantage over him and anticipate a blindside before it even happens!" Mel pointed out.

"_You couldn't have asked for a better plan, and it was given to us on a silver platter." Crane said with a smirk. "With Marty acting as an agent, we'll be able to figure out what Elias is planning without even having to be near him. This could seriously turn the game around in our favour."_

As Marty went off to start his 'mission', Mel looked at Crane. "Whom should we target next?" She asked.

"Jonathan or Zoe, depending on who wins Immunity." Crane explained. "Sandy's a valuable swing vote here, so we can't afford to lose her just yet."

"Are you sure? Sandy's probably stronger than Jonathan is, you know."

"I know. I also know that Sandy's pretty much the only one here without an alliance." Crane reminded. "She knows how much of a threat she is, so when we target someone other than her, she'll join us."

"_I don't know if we can trust Sandy. Somehow, I get this sinking suspiscion that she's more than the crazy woman we've all gotten used to." Mel explained. "She's lasted this long in the game. She's either extremely lucky or she's a complete master of the game and we just don't know it."_

The two continued talking, unaware of the figure in the bushes that was watching them. The only distinguishable feature of the figure was the jet black hair.

"Just question this, Crane. We don't know anything about Sandy's game plan, even this far into the competition." Mel explained. "Who's more likely to take us by surprise? Her or Jonathan?"

"Sandy may have more potential to take us off guard, but it's getting pretty late into the game." Crane pointed out. "If she hasn't made a big move, then I don't think she will at all."

"That may be her whole plan, though."

_Sandy sat in front of the camera, her face painted white, complete with a red, clown-like smile. "Do I really look like the kind of person that has a plan?" She asked._

Sandy waited for Crane and Mel to leave the area before she emerged from the bushes. She looked in the direction the kids went, then looked at the cameraman, wiggling her eyebrows.

Suddenly, Sandy heard someone coming. Acting quickly, the crazy woman got to her feet and sat down on a rock casually. As soon as she was, D'looa came into view. Trying to look casual (which was staring down at the sand to count the grains), Sandy turned her head and saw D'looa coming over.

"Whatcha up to, D'looa?" Sandy asked.

"Sandy, I've recently come across an interesting piece of information and I think it can shake up everyone's game plan." D'looa explained. "I found out that Crane and Mel are in a secret alliance with Marty."

"_It's seriously taken her this long to find that out?" Sandy asked. "I've known that for a while now. I just think it's too fun to actually say anything about it."_

"Really?" Sandy asked. "But hey, not like it matters. None of them are strong."

"It does matter. There are three of them and that can spell trouble for the others." D'looa replied.

"Ah, but you also seem to forget that actor-boy is playing the game strategically and can win by gameplay." Sandy pointed out.

D'looa shook her head, seeing that she wouldn't be getting anywhere with Sandy. "Suit yourself, but think about it." She explained as she walked away.

"_Sandy is near-impossible to get sometimes. I'm almost certain that she knows something and isn't telling us, probably because it's too fun." D'looa sighed. "It's times like this that makes me wonder if SANDY'S the one playing everyone for the fool."_

_Sandy was laughing her head off. "That's my entire plan! I HAVE no plan! I'm just here for fun! Everyone is so paranoid that I'll be pulling one over on them that they're running around like chickens with their heads cut off!" Sandy explained. "I'm being portrayed as a master player and I don't even have to DO anything! Isn't it awesome?!"_

Later on, the eight remaining contestants sat around the campfire at supper, eating the fish they had caught with some of the diminishing rice Temlin had won earlier in the game. D'looa was strategically sitting a couple of positions away from Jonathan & Zoe to keep people from thinking they were in an alliance, but Marty on the other hand was sitting beside Crane & Mel. Elias and Sandy were sitting between D'looa and Zoe, the latter singing an improvised Irish Drinking Song.

Trying to ignore Sandy's singing, Elias scanned the others. "I suppose we'll be having a challenge tomorrow." He explained. "You think it's Reward or Immunity?"

"It's hard to tell." Jonathan shook his head. "This late in the game, I'd say anything's possible."

"I'm just more worried about what type of challenge SSBFreak has planned for us." Crane pointed out. "I just hope it isn't physical. There's no way half of us would win in something physical."

Elias looked at Sandy and Jonathan for a moment. "I'm inclined to agree with you, Crane. Personally, I hope it's a memory challenge." He said.

"You sound confident that you'd win a challenge like that." Crane countered with a smirk.

"You saying something about my intellect?" Elias challenged.

"All I'm saying is not to get cocky." Crane suggested with a shrug.

"_Crane has been at odds with Elias for as long as I can remember. If you ask me, I think it's a real even playing field." Mel said. "We're not in a good enough spot to win yet, so Crane needs to see that and he needs to see that before it's too late."_

Night eventually rolled in for everyone. Knowing that there was going to be a challenge the following day, everyone went to the shelter and went to sleep.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 30)**

"_We're down to the last ten days. The home stretch of Survivor, if you will. It's anyone's game now and we all know that." Jonathan explained. "Around this time it's essential to win those challenges, because the instant you don't win, you become a target. With my expanded alliance, hopefully I'll be able to get further into the game."_

Jonathan had decided to go get fruit this morning, leaving Sandy to fish (she'd probably get better results than him, anyway). Zoe had gone with him as D'looa stayed behind to act as a scout in the camp.

"What do you think we should do, Zoe?" Jonathan asked. "We can target, Sandy, Elias or the kids' alliance."

The skunk girl gave a shrug. "It's not like we'd lose either way. No matter who we target, we'd be getting rid of a threat in the end." Zoe replied.

"But the question arises as to which threats need to be taken out first." Jonathan reminded. "If we keep the wrong people, we could end up on the receiving end of a massive blindside."

"_I honestly never thought about it that way. The question isn't which people are threats. It's which people are BIGGER threats." Zoe explained. "Boy, we may be in a decent position, but if we make a single mistake as to who to keep and who to boot, we could be in serious trouble."_

Meanwhile, D'looa had managed to catch Elias alone. Making sure that no one was watching, the Twi'lek girl approached the actor.

"Elias, we need to talk." D'looa said.

"YOU want to talk to ME?" Elias asked in mock-surprise. "It must be serious if it actually makes you want to come to me."

"Laugh it up all you want, wise guy. This is serious." D'looa snapped. "Look, I overheard a conversation between Mel and Crane recently and they've started a secret alliance with Marty."

This caught Elias by surprise. "Wait. What are you talking about?" He asked. "Marty was in an alliance with Mel and Crane?"

"You seem surprised. Did you try to start an alliance with Marty?" D'looa asked. "Look, I think it's clear that a team of three would be a massive threat no matter who the members of the team are."

"…Yes. Definitely." Elias nodded. "So we'll be focusing on taking out one of them next?"

"That's the plan. I'm trusting you to actually stick with it this time." D'looa accused.

"_Crap. I definitely wasn't expecting this. When Marty agreed to be on an alliance with me, I thought that he was actually NEEDING an alliance." Elias muttered. "He was probably just in on it so he could relay all of my ideas to Mel and Crane. Great. I was outsmarted by a koopa. I'll never be able to live this down…"_

After Jonathan & Zoe had returned with fruit and Sandy had caught fish, the remaining contestants ate. Afterwards, Mel had gone to check for mail and came back a short time later.

"We've got some treemail!" Mel called out as she approached the campgrounds with a letter.

"Looks like we're heading to the next challenge." D'looa nodded. "What's it say, Mel?"

"All it says is 'How's your memory with 'interesting' topics'?" Mel read out.

"Finally. A memory challenge." Elias said, rubbing his hands together. "This is my chance."

"Don't be so sure, Elias. I'm smart too, you know." Mel reminded. "I'm a computer technician for a reason."

"Well, I guess the only thing we can do is go to the challenge and see which one of you is right." Crane said with a smirk.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The eight contestants walked out onto a clearing and stepped onto the black mat to start their challenge. The group waited impatiently for SSBFreak to start.

"Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, La'nooba Tribe. This task requires knowledge, because it's nothing more than a triva challenge." SSBFreak explained, guesturing to a long table with eight seats at it. "I'm going to give you either a picture, an audio clip or a normal question and you must buzz in with the correct response. Here's the twist. Whenever someone gets an answer correct, they can take one of the opposing players out of the game. The process continues until only one of you is left, and that person wins Immunity for tonight." He gave a smirk before continuing. "Here's the topic of the questions. The questions will all revolve around Internet Memes."

Elias' triumphant smirk instantly vanished. "Wait. What?" He asked.

"If you'll all take your seats, we'll get started." SSBFreak explained.

Everyone quickly went over to the table and sat down, hands on the buzzers provided to them, ready to answer the questions given.

"Are you all ready to start?" SSBFreak asked, receiving several nods. "Okay. For Immunity, here's the first question…"

SSBFreak pointed to the speaker sitting beside him. "Listen carefully to this audio clip." He instructed as everyone listened in.

"_**PINGAS!!"**_ A weird voice screamed from within the speaker. Almost everyone did a double-take, wondering if they had just heard what they thought they had heard.

"Here's the question. Which cartoon was that audio taken from?" SSBFreak asked. Sandy instantly buzzed in. "Sandy."

"The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sandy said eagerly.

"You're correct, Sandy." SSBFreak nodded. "Who will you take out of the challenge?"

"Sorry, Mel. You're way too smart." Sandy shook her head.

"Not that I know much about memes in the first place." Mel sighed as she walked away from the table.

"Mel is out. Next question." SSBFreak said as he pulled out a card and read from it. "According to Dragonball Z, what does the scouter say about his power level?" A contestant buzzed in right away. "Sandy again."

"It's over nine _**THOUSAAAAAAAAAAND!!!!!!!!**_" Sandy screamed, scaring everyone else at the table.

"Uh…Correct, but you didn't need to shout." SSBFreak said. "Who's getting eliminated?"

"Jonathan, you're out." Sandy said with a smirk. Jonathan sighed as he walked away from the table to stand with Mel.

"Okay. Jonathan is out. Next question." SSBFreak said. "Watch this screen."

SSBFreak pointed to a projector screen on the opposite side as the speaker. A picture appeared on the screen, slightly creeping the contestants out. The figure was clearly Luigi, but the face of the green-clad plumber was almost haunting.

"This is Weegee." SSBFreak explained. "Which game was that sprite ripped from?" Sandy buzzed in once again. "Sandy."

"The PC version of Mario is Missing!" Sandy replied.

"Right again. Who's going, Sandy?"

"Bye bye, Zoe." Sandy waved cheerfully.

"I almost buzzed in on that one." Zoe shook her head.

"Alright. Next question. In the Sonic fandom, there's an obscure character that some fans consider evil incarnate and is the last thing you see before you die." SSBFreak explained. "Which character is it?"

Sandy buzzed in again, and once SSBFreak acknowledged her, she spoke. "The Tails Doll!" She replied.

"Correct. Sandy, which contestant will you be eliminating?"

"D'looa, I need to take you out now." Sandy replied sweetly as D'looa walked away from the table.

"Okay. Crane, Elias, Mel and Sandy are the last ones left." SSBFreak said. "Watch the screen for the next question."

The remaining four heard an old song being played as the music video for the song played on the screen. The video contained mainly a red-haired young man dancing and singing into a microphone. Sandy was, unsurprisingly, dancing along to the music.

"That song was 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley." SSBFreak explained. "There's a fad online for fooling people into clicking on a video link explaining that some secret information has been found out, only to play the music video for this song instead. What is the term called?" The buzzer went off right away. "Sandy again."

"Rickrolling!" The crazy woman explained happily.

"Correct again, Sandy."

Sandy silently poked the shoulder of the person next to her, Crane, getting his attention. She then pointed off to the side where the others were waiting. Crane sighed and walked away from the table.

"Okay. Listen to this audio clip for the next question." SSBFreak explained.

The remaining three contestants listened in as a poppy song played in another language. Once again, Sandy started dancing to the music, this time pumping her arms into the air as she waved back and forth.

"That was the Numa Numa, an extremely popular song." SSBFreak said. "But while most people know the song, who was the artist that did it?"

"Oh, goody! An easy one!" Sandy said as she buzzed in. Once she was acknowledged, she answered. "O-Zone!"

"You're right again, Sandy. Who's going?"

"See ya later, Marty." The koopa sighed as he put down his buzzer and joined the other eliminated contestants.

"Okay. There's one question left and it's down to Elias and Sandy. Whoever gets this right wins Immunity." SSBFreak explained. "Here's the question. What fruit is known to dance to the song 'Peanut Butter Jelly Time'?" The buzzer was hit, and SSBFreak wasn't really surprised at who it was. "Yes, Sandy?"

"A grinning banana!"

"That is correct. The challenge is over!" SSBFreak said. "Sandy wins Immunity!"

Sandy cheered as she put her buzzer down and ran away from the table, running in circles as she cheered in victory. Everyone else watched her with unusual looks.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations, Sandy. You've won Immunity for the second time and are safe tonight." SSBFreak explained as he handed Sandy the Immunity Necklace.

"I missed this sucker." Sandy said happily.

SSBFreak looked at the other seven contestants. "Sandy is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing you all at Tribal Council, where one of you will be voted off." He explained. "You'll have the rest of the day to figure out your target, but you can all head back to camp now."

Everyone left the clearing, everyone silently putting strategies together in their heads (with the exception of Sandy; she was playing a crossword puzzle in her head).

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Sandy won Immunity again, not that it really matters because she's not the target. I'm just upset that the triva challenge turned out to be something so stupid." Elias mused. "I mean, how the heck were we supposed to know the answers to such moronic questions?! Then again, I wouldn't put it past Sandy to actually KNOW those types of things…"_

"So we're voting for Jonathan, right?" Marty asked Elias. "I mean, he's clearly the strongest one left."

"Indeed. It would definitely be stupid to let him continue much further." Elias said. "Someone like him could easily win."

"Yeah, I know. Back on Temlin, he was always trying to put something together." Marty nodded. "Okay. I'll go spread the word."

"_I think this idea is really working. If I can get close enough to Elias, he'll tell me his strategies." Marty explained. "And when I give those messages to my alliance members, he won't be able to surprise us with what he's planning."_

After Marty had gone off, D'looa approached Elias. "He still thinks he's on an alliance with you?" She asked.

"I hate to admit it, but if you hadn't told me he was in an alliance with Mel and Crane, I probably would have gone with him." Elias shook his head. "But I'm not about to tell him that I'm onto him."

"Well, he's definitely going to be in for a surprise tonight, isn't he?"

"Yes. Indeed he is."

"_No, I'm not about to put my trust in Elias. But we need his vote here. If not, it'll end up as a tie and we're not going to want that." D'looa explained. "I'm sure even he realizes the importance of the vote tonight, so I think he'll go with us."_

D'looa walked back to Jonathan and Zoe, making sure Elias wasn't watching her. "Elias is in." She said.

"Can we trust him?" Zoe asked.

"Not a bit, but he's our best chance." D'looa shook her head. "We'll just have to hope that he votes with us."

"Man. I hate it when I don't know the outcome of the vote."Jonathan sighed. "At least back on Temlin I knew how the vote was going to go."

"We in the last ten days, Jonathan. I don't think anyone's going to know the outcome at this point." Zoe added.

**(Tribal Council)**

The eight finalists walked into the hut that was Tribal Council, carrying their lit torches. They sat down at the dwindling number of stools as they waited for the council to commence.

"Before we start, let's bring in the members of the jury." SSBFreak explained. "Angie, Barney, Kida and Reginald, whom was voted out at the last Tribal Council."

Everyone watched as Angie, Barney and Kida walked into Tribal Council, with a familiar Rabbid following them. Reginald was wearing a fresh pair of jeans and was now wearing a green vest. The most noticeable change was the fact that he had tied his ears back to look like a ponytail. The four walked over to the jury bench and sat down.

"They will not address you and you are not to address them. They're just here to watch." SSBFreak explained before starting the questions. "Sandy, you're the first person to win Immunity twice. Does this make you a bigger threat than you already are?"

"This late in the game, we're all threats, mac." Sandy replied casually. "And besides, everyone's at each other's throats right now. They've pretty much been ignoring me."

"Ignoring Sandy?" Reginald asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that even possible?" The other jury members chuckled in amusement.

"Mel, there are a couple of tight alliances going on." SSBFreak noted. "Do you feel at risk?"

"Why would I be at risk with bigger threats still in the game?" Mel asked, scratching her head. "Taking me out now over these people wouldn't be the best of strategies."

"Jonathan, you used the Hidden Immunity Idol last ribal Council and you apparently really needed it." SSBFreak said. "Are you at risk?"

"You never know this late in the game. It's all based around strategies." Jonathan shrugged. "You can either be booted because you're too big of a threat or booted because you play so under the radar that no one really knows who you are."

"That's deep, man." Kida noted with a smirk.

"You WOULD think that, wouldn't you?" Reginald asked. He was promptly socked in the arm.

"Elias, you've had a couple of alliance members and you've managed to outlast all of them." SSBFreak pointed out. "Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know for once. Maybe it's sheer luck that I've managed to survive over my alliance members." Elias said. "I mean, I'm probably a bigger threat than they are in the end."

"I beg to differ." An unamused Barney muttered, folding his arms.

"Marty, what are your thoughts about tonight?" SSBFreak asked. "How do you think the vote will go?"

"In all honesty, I don't know. There's only eight of us left, so the voting can really go any way." Marty said. "It all comes down to how fast you can get people on your side to get them to vote out someone else."

"Well, I think that's enough questions." SSBFreak said. "Before we start, I have to ask. Sandy, will you be giving up Immunity tonight?"

Sandy instantly clutched the necklace close. "No! MY necklace!" She shouted.

SSBFreak blinked a couple of times. "Okay. Sandy is safe tonight and can't be voted out. It's time to vote." He explained. "D'looa, you're up."

D'looa stood up and left the hut to go to the voting table outside. She arrived at the table, wrote a name down and placed it into the urn.

"You're the strongest one, pal." Crane said, having voted for Jonathan. "This time, you don't have the idol to save you."

Elias approached the table, but hesitated when he was about to vote. He pondered the possibilities for a few seconds before writing a name down and putting it into the urn.

Walking up to the table, Marty wrote a name down onto the ballot and put it into the urn, but made sure it was in before he left the table.

Zoe approached the table and smiled as she wrote a name down. "This is going to be good." She said.

"I knew my knowledge of useless internet memes would come in handy some day." Sandy said with a smile as she wrote a name down.

Mel walked up to the table and wrote a name down. "Sorry, but you're the biggest threat with Sandy having Immunity." She said, having voted for Jonathan.

"Time for me to turn this game around." Jonathan said with a smirk as he wrote a name down and placed it into the urn.

Once everyone had voted, SSBFreak fetched the urn and returned with it. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; Jonathan." Jonathan didn't look worried.

"Jonathan." Again, Jonathan didn't look worried.

"Jonathan. That's three votes for Jonathan." Jonathan still wasn't worried, but he had lost his smirk.

"…Crane." This caught Crane, Mel and Marty by surprise.

"Crane." The white-haired rudie stared in shock.

"Crane. That's three votes for Jonathan and Crane." Crane and Jonathan looked at each other. Jonathan waved at Crane.

"…Crane." Mel and Marty gasped as Crane hung his head low. "Final vote, fifth member of the jury and eleventh person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Crane. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

The jury watched in surprise and shock, wondering what had just happened. The only exception Reginald, whom looked mildly amused. "What an interesting turn of events." He mused.

"N-No…Crane…" Mel said sadly. "B-But…"

"It's okay, Mel. I guess it had to end sometime." Crane sighed as he grabbed his torch and approached the host.

"Crane, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Crane's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Whatever." He replied, trying to sound neutral, but sounding sad when he said it as he strolled out of Tribal Council with his hands in his pockets.

After Crane left, SSBFreak turned to the remaining contestants. "Crane wasn't expecting that at all. It just goes to show that sometimes, not being as strong as others doesn't mean you're in the clear." He explained. "There are only seven of you left. The finale is just days away, but we need four of you to go before that can happen. You can all head back to camp."

The seven finalists stood up, collected their torches and left Tribal Council. Mel brought up the rear, feeling worse than she had been for the majority of the competition. It felt like Bonnie was back and hurling insults at her again. Unfortunately, Mel knew that her knight in shining armour wouldn't be coming to her rescue this time, even if her knight was but a rudie…

"_Man. I can't believe that just happened back there. Here I was thinking Mel, Marty and I would be able to make the finals together. I guess that teaches me to get overconfident." Crane sighed, arms folded. "Mel…Good luck. Make it to the finals for me and beat out the rest of the competition. I know you have it in you somewhere. Don't let me down."_

**Voting History:**

**Crane – Jonathan, Zoe, D'looa, Elias and Sandy**

**Jonathan – Crane, Mel and Marty**

Author's Note: I was really expecting Crane to be a bigger character than he was. In the planning stages, I was thinking Crane would be one of the main characters of the story, but ended up getting overshadowed. Heck, his main focal point was furthering Mel's story. Crane was always going to be kicked off here, though, so it didn't really affect his placement...


	13. Days 31 to 33

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_What am I going to do?! Crane and I have been together ever since we got rid of Bonnie and now he's gone!" Mel exclaimed, her eyes watering. "Why Crane?! He wasn't a physical threat! I thought we were guaranteed survival from Tribal Council because Jonathan didn't have Immunity!"_

Mel was quick to go to bed when she got back from Tribal Council. The last thing she wanted tonight was to talk to anybody. Marty, on the other hand, stopped Elias from entering the shelter and pulled him aside.

"What the crap is your problem, Elias?!" Marty asked. "I thought we were targeting Jonathan! Crane wasn't a physical threat at all!"

"Marty, I found out about your little alliance with Mel and Crane." Elias pointed out. "Now that I think about it, it would have been the perfect plan as well. Me telling you strategies and you relaying them to your cohorts."

This threw Marty for a loop. He did a double-take at the actor. "Wait. You knew?!" He asked. "How'd you find out?!"

"Someone told me. Now that Tribal Council has passed, I'm glad they did." Elias said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to bed."

Brushing past Marty, Elias stepped into the shelter to go to sleep. Marty sighed and walked in after him.

"_So someone found out about the alliance we had? Man, I seriously thought we were keeping it secret enough for people not to figure things out." Marty moaned. "Great. This means that Mel and I are in serious trouble for later Tribal Councils for being a part of such a major alliance."_

When Sandy ended up going into the shelter, this left the alliance of Jonathan, Zoe and D'looa outside on the campgrounds.

Zoe cheered lightly so as not to alert anyone. "This is awesome! We were outnumbered and without the idol and we STILL survived Tribal Council!" She cheered.

Jonathan chuckled nervously and held his nose. Zoe may have been cheering lightly, but the stench she was giving off revealed her real emotions. "Y-Yeah. It sure is something, isn't it?" He asked.

"So what now?" D'looa asked.

"We continue to whittle down their alliance." Jonathan replied. "After we take all three of them out, we'll vote out Elias, then take out Sandy at the final four."

"So I'll have to put up with Elias for another several days." D'looa sighed.

"Think you can manage?" Jonathan asked.

"He'll go eventually and we've got the power." D'looa shrugged. "I'll try."

The three finally decided to go to bed and entered the shelter, preparing for the next day.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 31)**

"_It's day 31 out of 39. Only eight more days remain in the competition and the others are starting to fight fierce because everyone wants to win at this point." D'looa explained. "I'm not seeing this as winning. I'm seeing it as lasting one Tribal Council at a time and then winning if I make the final Council."_

D'looa emerged from the shelter and looked around. A few people were up, but the Twi'lek girl couldn't spot Sandy around camp and she was missing from the ones still sleeping in the shelter. The Twi'lek jedi scratched her head as she started looking around.

"Sandy?" D'looa asked. "You around here anywhere?"

Suddenly hearing loud snoring, D'looa looked up and saw a black-haired woman sound asleep on a tree branch. Scratching her head, D'looa picked up a branch and poked Sandy with it. Afer a few pokes, Sandy jolted awake, tumbling off the tree branch and hitting the ground nine feet down.

"Oh! Morning, D'looa!" Sandy said cheerfully as she got to her feet.

"Uh…Sandy, why were you sleeping in a tree?" D'looa asked.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I couldn't sleep with my snoring and realized that I had to find somewhere else to sleep to get away from it." Sandy replied. "You know? I find it near impossible to sleep with myself sometimes."

D'looa stared at Sandy strangely. "You…You couldn't sleep…Because of your OWN snoring…" She repeated.

"Uh…Yeah. Is that unusual?" Sandy asked.

D'looa blinked a couple of times. "Uh…Forget it." She said as she walked away.

"_Actually, one of the reasons I opted to sleep outside was because some of the others have started talking in their sleep. I mean, Elias dreaming that he was in a casino doesn't really surprise me, but Marty was dreaming about a night with his girlfriend."Sandy said, looking traumatized for the first time the game. "Uh…Yeah. That…That was…Pretty scary…Man. Can koopas even DO that?"_

Meanwhile, Mel was sadly sitting at the beach as Marty was fishing beside her. Marty saw Mel's upset look and sighed. "Mel, I know you're upset at the fact that Crane was blindsided, but you can't let it affect your game." He said.

"I can't help it, Marty. He was there for me whenever Bonnie yelled at me. I'd never felt so secure around someone else before." Mel explained with a sigh. "And now he's gone and I think we're going next."

"Don't think like that, Mel." Marty shook his head as he felt a fish bite the fishing rod. "We can still pull something out of our sleeves. I don't think Crane would want you to give up so easily so soon after he gets voted out."

Mel seemed to ignore him and sighed again. "I'm sorry, Marty. Crane and I probably doomed you by bringing you into our alliance." She apologized. "Now you're probably going right after I will."

"Mel, what did I just say?" Marty asked as he started reeling a fish in. "Don't think negatively. We'll find a way out of this."

"_Marty's such a sweetheart. I don't know who his girlfriend is, but she's one lucky girl." Mel explained. "I'm glad that Crane and I became friends with him, but at the same time so sorry that we ended up putting him in such a bad position."_

"Well, how are we going to do this, then?" Mel asked. "I mean, the fact is that we seem pretty screwed."

"We just need to find a way to shift the attention to Jonathan & Zoe." Marty explained. "The way the others are playing the game, it seems that they don't think physical strength is as threatening as a strong alliance."

Later, Jonathan and Zoe were off to the side of the campgrounds, talking together about strategy (D'looa had gone to get fruit so as not to give the impression of an alliance; she would be filled in later).

"So who do you think's a bigger threat?" Zoe asked. "Marty may not be a physical threat, but he's still stronger than Mel is."

"But Mel's been playing a better game." Jonathan reminded. "She's bound to get more jury votes than Marty would in the end."

"You sure?" Zoe asked. "I always thought that it'd be about even for jury votes."

Jonathan quickly shook his head. "Either way, Mel and Marty each have the votes of the one another and Crane, but Mel probably has at least a vote from Barney as well." He explained. "In the end, she's a bigger threat than he is."

"_What's great about an alliance with Jonathan is that he's capable of putting together ideas to form a plan that he can use to get us further into the game." Zoe explained. "I mean, he started off as a swing vote, then got all this confidence after having a…Talk…With…" Zoe suddenly looked off to the side of the camera and narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute!" She said in realization as she left the confessional camera's range of sight._

Elias looked to his right and saw Zoe coming over, not looking very pleased. "So YOU'RE the one responsible!" She accused.

"Zoe, I have no idea what you're talking about." Elias said, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that! Jonathan got this so-called great idea to vote off our strongest member after we kidnapped Angie and I knew that she planted ideas in his head!" Zoe pointed out. "I know she was in league with you, so Angie giving Jonathan those ideas was probably YOUR idea in the first place!"

"Took you long enough to figure it out." Elias said with a smirk. "Besides, you should thank me. If I hadn't had told Angie to give those ideas to someone on your tribe, he may not have gotten the ability to become such a powerful player."

Zoe, in a strange step out of character, growled. She turned around and pointed her tail straight at Elias. The actor's eyes widened.

As this was happening, Jonathan was relaying the information to a recently-arrived D'looa. "We think we should focus on Mel first." He suggested.

"Marty's stronger. Don't you think we should focus on him first?" D'looa asked.

"Zoe asked me the same thing. Mel is more likely to get more jury votes in the end." Jonathan replied.

D'looa pondered this for a couple of seconds, then nodded. "You make a good point. She HAS been playing a better game." She replied.

Suddenly, the two smelled a putrid stench coming towards them. They turned, expecting to see an excited Zoe, but instead saw Elias casually walking past them, giving off a horrible smell as he walked towards the beach.

"If you need me, I'll be bathing in the ocean for about six hours." Elias said casually.

After Elias had gone, Jonathan and D'looa looked at each other for a few seconds before breaking down laughing.

"_I'd like to take this moment to say that no one's ever seen Zoe mad, so I can safely say that no one could have ever expected her to do something like that." Elias said in defense. "Therefore, any curse words I may have shouted in surprise as Zoe was doing that are completely justifiable."_

Needless to say, the long swim in the ocean didn't do a lot to take away the smell Zoe had planted on Elias, and when supper came around and everyone was sitting around the campfire, Elias was comically sitting three feet from anyone else.

"Oh, come on! It doesn't smell THAT bad!" Elias said.

"Dude, you smell worse than Zoe does when she gets REALLY excited!" Sandy laughed. "What did you say to her to make her do that?"

"It's not important." Elias muttered.

"Zoe?" Jonathan asked.

"It's not important." Zoe shook her head.

Jonathan lifted an eyebrow, having never seen his friend this secretive before.

Eventually, night showed up. The seven contestants remaining in the game went to bed, wondering what the challenge would be the following day.

However, just after everyone had gone in, Elias was ejected from the shelter. Elias landed on the sand as a blanket was thrown out after him.

"You are all so immature!" Elias shouted before grabbing his blanket and curling up by a tree.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 32)**

"_Well, today is the day. Today I defend my title of Immunity Champion in a battle of wits, strength and keen senses of smell. I'm ready for anything that host throws at us, so everyone else had…" Sandy said before trailing off. "Oh. Wait. If we have a Reward Challenge today, I guess I'm technically not defending my title…You all just got a little lucky!!"_

"Uh…What's Sandy doing, now?" Zoe asked as she watched Sandy doing a strange dance on the beach.

"I've sorta stopped trying to figure out anything about her and ignore her." Marty shook his head.

Uh…You can't really ignore her if you tried to." The skunk reminded.

"Also true." Marty sighed. "Hey, Sandy? What are you trying to do, exactly?"

"My 'Dance of Good Luck'. It's an old tribal thing I picked up when I was younger." Sandy replied. "It's supposed to bring luck to whoever does it. Hopefully, this means I'lldo well in the next challenge."

Thunder suddenly struck overhead and a small cloud appeared over Sandy's head, starting a torrential downpour on her and her alone.

"…Or maybe it was my Lithuanian Rain Dance." Sandy scratched her head. "I always get those two mixed up."

Meanwhile, Jonathan and D'looa were walking up to the treemail box to see if the tribe had gotten any new mail.

"I think we're in a good position." Jonathan noted. "No one knows that we're in an alliance and we've diverted attention to Mel and Marty."

"I know, but remember that we're still not in the clear yet." D'looa reminded.

"_I'm not going to disagree that we're in a good position, because we are. Jonathan justs seems to have forgotten that no one's safe at this point in the game." D'looa pointed out. "One way or another, everyone here is a threat to everyone else."_

Jonathan reached into the box and pulled out a letter. "Looks like we've got treemail." He said as he handed D'looa the letter. "You take it back to the others and I'll go around the long way."

"Got it." D'looa nodded as she and Jonathan parted ways, with her going back to the campgrounds the main way. "We've got treemail, everyone!"

The other finalists gathered arund the Twi'lek girl curiously. "What's the challenge?" Elias asked.

Mel turned and saw Jonathan coming over from another direction. "Where were you?"She asked.

"Doing a confessional." Jonathan replied simply. "I was just wrapping up when D'looa made the announcement."

"Speaking of, the letter says 'How's your puzzle-solving skills'?" D'looa continued.

"Ah. That's much better." Elias said with a smirk. "I can do something like that easily."

"You said that about the last challenge as well, mac." Sandy taunted.

"Well, excuse me for not paying attention to any of those stupid 'memes' of yours." Elias rolled his eyes.

**(Reward Challenge)**

The seven finalists walked out into a clearing in the jungle and found their mat sitting nearby. Walking over to it, the seven contestants stepped onto it and awaited the host to start talking.

"Welcome to your next Reward Challenge, La'nooba Tribe. For this challenge, we're taking a classic puzzle and expanding it a few sizes." SSBFreak said. Everyone suddenly became aware of the seven squares aside, each one containing a large sliding puzzle. "You probably know of these types of puzzles, where you can only move one piece at a time and the pieces need to be moved in a specific order to solve it. The premise of this challenge is simple: All you need to do is solve the puzzle. Whoever can get their puzzle solved first will win Reward." The host said. "For the Reward, you'll be playing for a day-long trip to a more-tropical part of the island, which I can guarantee will be nicer than the campgrounds that you've grown accustomed to during the month."

The finalists looked at each other, wondering who would be the one to win the Reward.

"If you'll all choose your field of play, we can get started." SSBFreak said.

Everyone walked towards a random puzzle, and when hey arrived they all saw that the puzzles were scrambled up differently.

"We need to prevent people from cheating, so you all have a unique way to solve your own puzzle." SSBFreak explained. "Okay, for Reward, Survivors ready…Go!"

The seven contestants quickly got to work on trying to solve their puzzles. Marty was quick to complain about the challenge.

"Man. I was never good with these things." Marty sighed as he scratched his head before sliding a piece down.

"Let's see…Maybe if I did this…" Mel mused as she moved a piece down, providing an opening for another piece to move to the right.

"This isn't so bad." Jonathan said to himself as he continued to work on his puzzle.

The contestants worked on the puzzles for a little bit before SSBFreak decided to start asking questions. "Elias, you seem fairly comfortable with the challenge." He explained. "You think you can win?"

"It's too hard to tell this early. Try asking that again once people have started getting close to completion." Elias replied back.

SSBFreak shrugged and went on to the next person. "Marty, it looks like you're struggling with this, on the other hand." He said. "You didn't like these types of puzzles?"

"Not in the slightest. It always took me forever to get close to finishing." Marty shook his head. "And even then there were still at least two pieces in the wrong places."

"How about you, Mel?" SSBFreak asked. "You seem to be going at a decent pace."

"Sorry, but this is the one challenge that requires my full attention." Mel pointed out, not stopping her attempts to solve the puzzle. "I'd appreciate it if you left me alone."

SSBFreak blinked a couple of times. "Man. That's a real polite way to say 'screw you'." He said before moving on. "You have any plans this time, Jonathan?"

"Like usual, there's no real strategy involved." Jonathan replied. "Things like this just require a lot of luck to pull off."

The seven contestants continued to work on the puzzles a bit longer. The ones that seemed to be surging ahead for this challenge were Elias and Mel, although Jonathan and D'looa weren't slowing down either. Zoe was struggling a little bit and Marty's still looked like a jumbled mess. Sandy's looked similar, but she was moving the pieces around so frequently that no one could get a good glimpse of her area.

"Sandy, you're not even paying attention, are you?" SSBFreak asked.

"Hey, I figure that if I scramble these pieces around fast enough, I'll be sure to stumble upon something before too long." Sandy replied cheerfully. "It sure beats actually thinking about where the pieces would go."

SSBFreak paused, then shook his head before moving to the next person. "D'looa, you've been pretty quiet." He noted. "What are you doing over there?"

"When you focus on a puzzle, you don't really want to say anything." D'looa cast a surprisingly-dark glance at the host. "It just throws you off."

"Uh…Noted." SSBFreak said before continuing on. "Zoe, it looks like you're struggling."

"I'm not familiar with these puzzles." Zoe sighed. "I never really did a lot of these as a kid."

"You still ARE a kid." Elias mused with a smirk, not passing up the opportunity.

"Don't make me spray you again, buster!" Zoe shouted.

"Well, keep at it, guys. I'll check up on you in a few minutes." SSBFreak said as he left the contestants to the puzzles.

A few more minutes passed. A few of the contestants were looking pretty close to completing their puzzles. On the other hand, Marty looked like he had all but given up on his puzzle.

SSBFreak noticed this. "Marty, you're not even trying to finish." He noted.

"I've probably just made the puzzle much worse than it started off as." Marty shook his head. "There's no way I'll be able to win now."

"It's getting down to the wire, Elias." SSBFreak said. "You think you need to pick up the pace to win?"

"If I pick up the pace, I may overlook something." Elias replied. "With a puzzle like this, that's the last thing you want."

SSBFreak looked at the next person, Sandy, only to see that she was still constantly moving her pieces around her area, seemingly not paying attention.

"Sandy, are you close to finishing?" SSBFreak asked.

"How should I know?" Sandy asked. "I've been having way too much fun to pay attention!"

SSBFreak shook his head in hopelessness before continuing. "You've been making progress, Jonathan." He noted. "You think you can still win?"

"My only hope is that the leaders run into a few problems that allow me to catch up a bit." Jonathan said. "I'm not sure if I'd have a chance otherwise."

"D'looa, how do-"

"I'm finished!"

Everyone quickly stopped what they were oing and turned to see a heavily-breathing Mel standing over her completed puzzle, which was a picture of the Survivor logo (with an empty space in the bottom right corner).

"That's the completed puzzle, alright." SSBFreak nodded. "The chellenge is over! Mel wins Reward!"

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning the challenge, Mel. As a Reward, you get to spend the day over at the tropical side of the island, where you'll enjoy a good swim, good food and a relaxing rest for tomorrow." SSBFreak explained before looking at the other six contestants. "But going alone wouldn't be very fun. You can pick one person to go along with you, so whom will it be?"

"Marty." Mel nodded without hesitating.

Marty shrugged and approached Mel. The other five contestants looked a little disappointed.

"Okay. Mel and Marty will be gone for the rest of the day and will rejoin the rest of you at tomorrow's challenge." SSBFreak explained. "So, until then, you can all head back to camp."

The seven contestants parted ways, with Mel and Marty walking towards a helicopter and the other five leaving the clearing to start their trek back to camp.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Mel won her first individual challenge and chose Marty to go along with her, not that anyone else was really surprised." Jonathan shrugged. "I mean, by now everyone knows that they were in an alliance with Crane and they both know that they're targets now. I just need to finalize a few things with the others to make sure."_

"So we're good with getting rid of Mel if she doesn't win Immunity?" Jonathan asked.

"She IS the bigger jury threat out of the two, I'll admit." Elias nodded. "We should probably vote her out sooner rather than later."

"But what about Marty?" D'looa asked (purposefully to keep people from guessing an alliance). "He's just as big of a threat as she is."

"That may be so, but Mel's got more potential to get votes from the jury." Elias replied.

"Yeah. Not only would Mel have votes from Marty and Crane, but she'd probably have Barney's vote as well." Jonathan added.

"Not that it really matters, right?" Zoe asked. "I mean, we'd be getting rid of one right after the other, wouldn't we?"

"That's if the one we don't vote off doesn't win the next Immunity, though." D'looa added.

"I could always-" Sandy supplied.

"NO!" Everyone else shouted as one.

Sandy folded her arms and pouted.

"_These people aren't seeing that I'm smarter than I'm giving myself credit for. Then again, that's probably a good thing because then I won't be viewed as a threat." Sandy said before forming an evil smirk. "But just you wait! Soon, I'll play them all so bad that they won't see it coming until three minutes after it's happened!" She then broke into a round of evil, psychotic laughter for a few seconds before freezing. "Uh…Sorry about that. Those tendancies come and go as they please."_

"Look, I think we all agree that we should just focus on the present for now." Elias suggested. "We'll vote out Mel at Tribal Council, and if she wins Immunity, we'll vote out Marty."

"It's not like the Hidden Immunity Idol's still in play." Zoe shrugged.

"_They actually seem to be under the impression that I'll stick with them for the duration of the game. I know for a fact that I'm expendable once Mel and Marty go." Elias said, arms folded. "I need to think of a way to secure myself a spot in the game after each Tribal Council, and let me promise you that I WILL come up with a way."_

**(Tropical Location)**

"Whoa! This place is amazing!" Marty said, looking at the layout of the part of the island he and Mel had been deposited into. "Look at the view of the ocean we have!"

"Yeah. It really is breathtaking, isn't it." Mel nodded.

The tropical part of the island was clearly a sight to behold. The trees somehow looked much fuller than the ones from camp, and the long beach went in a horseshoe shape going inwards, providing a good view of the ocean no matter where a person would be sitting on the beach. The sand was white and the water was crystal clear, providing a view of a lot of coral underneath the surface.

"Hey, thanks for bringing me along, Mel." Marty said. "This is awesome."

"Hey, no problem. I mean, who else would I bring?" Mel chuckled.

Marty gave a chuckle of his own, but on the inside he knew what Mel was thinking.

"_Mel SO would have wanted to bring Crane here, and if he was still in the game, she totally would have." Marty explained. "Not that I'd feel bad about that, but the fact that Crane isn't here in the first place is enough to dampen Mel's spirits. I can tell."_

The two youngsters enjoyed a long swim in the clear water and were relaxing on the beach by the time the sun was setting. They knew they had a long day ahead of them, but they weren't going to back down from a challenge that easily.

Marty decided to strike up a conversation and opened his mouth. "How do you think we can survive the next Tribal Council, Mel?" He asked. "You getting any ideas?"

"We need to think of some way to shift attention to Jonathan and Zoe. They're just as big as threats as we are, but they're stronger than us, so that makes them a bigger threat in the end." Mel replied. "We just need to make the others realize that, and I'm not sure how…"

"We'll definitely think of something." Marty nodded. "And when we do, no one else will see it coming."

"I sure hope you're right, Marty." Mel shook her head. "I just think that we'll be in serious trouble otherwise."

"_The odds aren't good. Everyone knows by now that Marty was in on my alliance with Crane, thus making us all a collective threat." Mel explained. "Marty and I will try our hardest to come up with a plan to outlast the others. We owe Crane that much…"_

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"Sandy, come here for a second." Elias said as he lured Sandy away from the others while they were distracted. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to talk strategy with you."

"What's on your mind, mac?" Sandy asked.

"I'm not sure if we should stick to this idea of Jonathan's the entire way through." Elias said. "Let's face it. Once we get rid of Marty and Mel, we're probably next."

"Yeah, but I always figure it's best to cross the bridge when I get there." Sandy shrugged.

"Why am I not surprised?" Elias muttered to himself. "Maybe I'm better off talking to D'looa…"

"_What was I thinking in trying to get through to that woman? It's like everything goes in one ear and out the other." Elias sighed. "I thought she'd be a good alliance member because she'd listen to me, but half the problem is actually TRYING to get her to listen to me."_

"I just thought you'd be interested in a way to get further into the game then you normally would." Elias pointed out. "You'll probably be the first target after eliminating Mel and Marty."

"Aaand…Why would I join you when I seem to be doing well enough on my own?" Sandy quizzed, folding her arms and lifting an eyebrow with a smirk.

"I think I'm perfectly capable of putting a plan together." Elias replied, folding his own arms. "I mean, you have to agree that I'm the smartest one left, right?"

Sandy paused, staring at Elias with an odd face. A smirk floated across the crazy woman's face as she started snickering, which progressed into a chuckle, until finally becoming full-fledged insane laughter. Sandy continued to laugh for several seconds as Elias stared at her strangely before she finally slowed her laughter down.

Sandy's laughter came to an end as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry. What was the question, again?" She asked.

"…Forget it."

"_Heh heh. This is awesome. The so-called smartest guy on the island thinks he can manipulate me. I was honestly half-tempted to go along with it at first to give myself a laugh, but decided against it." Sandy shrugged. "I mean, how many people would end up voting for me in the end if I was aligned with Elias?"_

Night eventually came along. Everyone decided to head to bed, as they knew that there was an Immunity Challenge the following day and they all needed to be prepared.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 33)**

"_We're going to have an Immunity Challenge today, and this late in the game everyone's going to be wanting it." Jonathan said. "No one knows what the challenge is, but we'll be needing to bring our A game if we want to win over everyone else."_

"You think you guys are ready for the challenge?" Jonathan asked his alliance members. "We need to make sure that neither Marty nor Mel wins it."

"Actually, Mel's the only one we need to focus on." D'looa said. "And it's not like it matters. We'll vote for whoever doesn't win Immunity."

"But if we don't take Mel out now, she has the potential to end all of our games." Jonathan countered. "We need to make absolute certain that she doesn't win."

"Jonathan, you're worrying too much." D'looa insisted.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sure SOMEONE would be able to beat out Mel in the Immunity Challenge." Zoe said. "There's a six-in-seven chance that it'll be anyone but Mel."

"Well, I for one am going to be trying my hardest." Jonathan said.

"Don't get me wrong, Jonathan. We'll all be trying our hardest." D'looa said.

"_Jonathan's really been acting worried about the Immunity Challenge, as if Mel is going to win Immunity." Zoe explained. "D'looa and I both agree that he needs to relax. If he doesn't loosen up, he could have a nervous breakdown, and I'm sure he wouldn't want something like that."_

"We've got treemail, people." Elias called out, coming over with a letter.

As the others gathered around him, Sandy was instantly in Elias' face. "What's it say?! What's it say?!" She asked.

Elias promptly shoved Sandy away and started reading. "It says 'How much can you lift'?" He replied.

"See? It's a physical challenge." Zoe told Jonathan. "We all know Mel can't win those."

"I'm not taking any chances." Jonathan shook his head.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The five contestants from camp walked onto the beach and saw their tribe mat sitting just off the shoreline. They walked over to it and stepped on, awaiting instructions.

"Before we start, let's bring in Mel and Marty, whom have just returned from their trip to the tropical part of the island." SSBFreak explained.

Mel and Marty came walking into view, Mel waving and giving a vocal greeting before the two stepped onto the mat to wait with the others.

"Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, La'nooba. Here, we will test your strength and endurance all at once." SSBFreak explained, guesturing to seven piles of weights sitting aside. "The point of this challenge is to see how many of those weights you can carry across to those marked areas within the two-minute time limit I give you. You can carry as many weights as you like at once, but remember that they each weigh fifty pounds and carrying too many at once will get to be extremely tiring." SSBFreak reminded. "Whoever has the most weights deposited in their marked area at the end of the twenty yard run will win Immunity at tonight's Tribal Council. Now if you're all ready, let's get you lined up."

The seven contestants were lined up at the marked areas, looking at the piles of weights several yards away. People like Jonathan D'looa and Sandy looked determined while Mel and Marty looked terrified.

"Okay, for Immunity, survivors ready…Go!" SSBFreak shouted.

The seven contestants were off like a shot, racing down the beach and straight towards the piles of weights. Jonathan took an early lead while the kids brought up the rear and the brown-haired man was at the weights well before anyone else.

"I'll start with two weights." Jonathan said. "I can carry a hundred pounds easy."

Scooping up two of the fifty-pound weights, Jonathan raced back towards his marked area as everyone else arrived at the weights. D'looa and Sandy picked up two weights while everyone else settled for one.

Jonathan raced back to the marked areas and quickly arrived at his own. Placing the two weights down, he didn't waste any time in turning around and running back to the weights.

Marty moaned as he carried his single weight. "There's no way we'll be able to beat him!" He said. "He's carrying two weights easily and we're struggling with one!"

"Keep trying, Marty!" Mel said. "We can't give up now!"

Elias grunted as he put his single weight down on his marked area. "Of all the times for my not focusing on my upper-body strength to come back to haunt me." He muttered as he turned to go pick up some more weights.

D'looa and Sandy had both delivered their two weights by now and were racing back to the weights, only to see Jonathan coming back with two more. Jonathan wordlessly passed the two girls as they arrived at the weights again.

"Let's stick with two for now." D'looa said to herself. "I'll try three when I get used to it."

D'looa was faster to get away from the weights than Sandy was due to Sandy taking a little longer to gather her weights. D'looa's determination helped her gain a little more ground on the crazy woman as she raced towards the marked area again.

Zoe reached the weights, but found herself unable to carry more than one weight. The skunk girl picked up the weight just in time for Jonathan to arrive at the weights again, this time gathering up three weights.

"Jonathan, be careful!" Zoe said. "Pace yourself!"

Elias picked up another single weight and struggled to keep up with the others, only for D'looa and Sandy to gain a lot of ground on him. "How are those two stronger than I am?" He asked. "They don't look that much stronger than me."

The contestants continued to shuttle weights across the beach for a bit. Jonathan was in the lead due to him starting to carry three weights, and second place was currently D'looa's position.

Marty and Mel each picked up a single weight and trailed behind everyone else as they struggled to keep up with them. Needless to say, neither of the two were liking their chances.

"This isn't good, Mel!" Marty said. "I think we're last!"

"Anything can happen, Marty! Can you carry more weights?" Mel asked.

"If I carried a hundred pounds, I'd be carrying almost my full body weight!" Marty insisted. "I don't think so!"

Sandy smirked as she tried to keep up with D'looa. "So the freaky alien girl thinks she's in better shape than me, does she?" She asked as she carried two weights to the marked areas. "Well…She probably is."

Jonathan continued to carry three weights across to the marked area and was building a fair lead. He wasn't even stopping after dropping off the weights and instead just ran right back for more.

"Jonathan, please pace yourself!" Zoe pleaded. Jonathan seemed to ignore her.

"Okay, everyone! We're down to the one-minute mark!" SSBFreak called out. "The challenge is almost over!"

This seemed to be enough motivation for D'looa to pick up the pace. The Twi'lek girl quickly dropped off the two weights she had been carrying and took a couple of breaths before turning around and racing back to the weights. Sandy arrived at her marked area a few seconds later and dropped off her weights before turning around and continuing the chase.

Jonathan arrived at the weights again and picked up his usual three weights. However, this time he reached for a fourth one and started to carry two-hundred pounds of weights to the marked areas.

Zoe had just dropped off her single weight when she turned and saw Jonathan hobbling over with four weights. She didn't like what she saw. "Jonathan, for the love of barrel rolls! **PACE YOURSELF!!**" She shrieked.

Jonathan tried to block out his friend's requests, but only a few feet after Zoe had given him the request, Jonathan's arm gave out and all of the weights he was carrying crashed to the ground. Jonathan shouted in pain as he collapsed, clutching his right arm.

"Jonathan!" Zoe shouted as she rushed over to her friend's side.

D'looa saw Jonathan collapse and was about to rush over herself when Zoe shook her head. "Keep going!" She ordered. D'looa sighed as she continued to carry two weights.

"Jonathan collapsed!" Marty said.

"That can give us a fighting chance, then!" Mel nodded. "Come on! Pick up the pace!"

Because Zoe was trying to tend to Jonathan, there were only five people left running back and forth. D'looa had seen what happened to Jonathan and didn't dare attempt to carry four weights. She managed to lift three weights and that was as far as she would go. D'looa hauled three weights back to the marked areas as Sandy arrived at the weights again.

Everyone knew that they were running out of time, but that didn't stop anyone from trying their hardest to beat everyone else. D'looa and Sandy were still fighting for the lead as Elias was beginning to lose serious ground on them and was starting to fall behind.

Elias knew he had no chance of winning, but stayed in the game because he refused to back out of a challenge like this. D'looa and Sandy were both way ahead of him and Elias knew it.

Marty and Mel, on the other hand, were slowing down. Their stacks of weights in their marked areas were way less than the others, so they figured that it'd be best to just conserve energy and not bother.

The contest seemed like it was just between D'looa and Sandy as the two women ran back and forth, carrying weights with hopes of winning the challenge. They would have kept going as well if SSBFreak had not stepped in.

"And…That's it! Time's up!" SSBFreak said. "Everyone stop! We need to count the weights!"

Everyone waited impatiently off to the side, Jonathan clutching his right arm. It didn't take long to count, because SSBFreak came back moments later.

"The winner, by five weights, is…D'looa!" SSBFreak announced. "D'looa wins Immunity!"

D'looa breathed a sigh of relief, then cheered loudly. Mel and Marty looked at each other worriedly.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Immunity, D'looa." SSBFreak said as he handed D'looa the Immunity Necklace. "You're safe for another night and have a one-in-six chance at winning the game."

"Amazing. I never thought I'd come this far." D'looa nodded.

SSBFreak turned to the remaining six contestants. "D'looa is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing everyone at Tribal Council, where you'll be voting someone off." He explained. "You have the rest of the afternoon to decide your plans, but for now you can head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_I can't believe it. I was so determined to win that challenge that I carried way more than I should have." Jonathan moaned, still holding his right arm. "I REALLY pulled a muscle in my arm, here. It's not broken, but it just really hurts and I can't move it. I'm not sure if I can continue the game like this…"_

"Does it still hurt, Jonathan?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah. I still can't believe I did that to myself." Jonathan sighed.

"I was TELLING you to pace yourself." Zoe insisted. "Now look at what happened!"

"So now what?" D'looa asked. "We weren't expecting this to happen. Does your arm REALLY hurt, Jonathan?"

"It hurts enough that I can hardly move it." Jonatha shook his head. "I'm not sure if I should even continue in the game now."

"_I was SO afraid something like this would happen. Jonathan was pushing his limits so much in that challenge and now he's really hurt his arm because of it." Zoe said. "We may be forced to vote him out so he can can medical attention, because not even he thinks he can continue on with that injury."_

Meanwhile, Mel and Marty were standing aside, watching Jonathan holding his arm.

"Looks like he really hurt himself on that task." Mel noted.

"I definitely know how that feels." Marty replied. "I threw out my back on day 3."

"But there isn't anyone left in the game that can help Jonathan, though." Mel said. "I think I heard him say that he didn't think he could continue."

"I feel guilty saying this, but this may have just been the twist we needed." Marty said.

"And I feel just as guilty because I actually agree with you."

"_It sucks that Jonathan really hurt himself, but if he's too hurt to continue, then that means Marty and I have a free pass through tonight's Tribal Council." Mel said. "I know it's not the best condition to vote someone out, but Jonathan needs to get his arm looked at before it gets any worse."_

**(Tribal Council)**

The seven finalists walked into Tribal Council, carrying lit torches. Jonathan was carrying his torch with his uninjured arm, his injured arm was hanging down by his side. The finalists walked over to their seats and sat down to wait for council to start.

"Before we start, let's bring in the members of the jury." SSBFreak explained. "Angie, Barney, Kida, Reginald and Crane, whom was voted off at the last Tribal Council."

The members of the jury entered the hut, with the white-haired rudie bringing up the rear. He was wearing a green tee-shirt, futuristic shades and had a few strands of black hair dyed in with the white hair had had previously. The five members of the jury reached the benches and sat down.

"They won't address you and you are not to address them." SSBFreak explained. "They're just here to watch." He looked at D'looa to start off the questions. "D'looa, you won Immunity for the first time. Did you need it tonight?"

"No. I can't say that I was in real danger tonight." D'looa shook her head. "I'm not strong enough to be considered a threat and I've been more of a swing vote as of late than anything."

"Are you certain of that?"

"I haven't been on a real alliance since Kida got blindsided." D'looa shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I'm a swing vote."

Reginald stroked his chin in thought. "Is she serious? I've been curious as to how she's lasted this long." He noted.

"We'll find out eventually." Barney shrugged.

"Mel, it seems pretty obvious to everyone that you and Crane were on an alliance with Marty." SSBFreak explained. "You think that's why Crane got eliminated?"

"Why else would they have kicked Crane off before some of the bigger physical threats?" Mel asked. "That's the only thing I can think of, and even still I'm baffled as to how someone figured the whole thing out."

"That's what I'd like to know as well." Crane mused to himself.

"You guys were keeping the alliance a secret for how long?"

"Before the Tribal Council where Kida was eliminated, I know that much." Mel explained. "I don't know when it was we were found out, but it couldn't have been that long ago."

"Jonathan, you seem to be in pain. What exactly happened?"

"I got pushed my limits just a little too much at the Immunity Challenge and I seriously pulled a muscle in my arm." Jonathan replied. "I can hardly move it without it hurting."

"So do you think you can continue playing the game?"

Jonathan took a breath. "No. I don't think I'd be able to continue. If I put any more strain on my arm, I'd probably just make it worse. I should probably get my arm looked at." He explained. "So, as a personal request, I'd like everyone to vote for me to vote me out of the game."

"You don't want to just quit right now?"

"I came into this game to play until the end. Not to just back out." Jonathan shook his head. "I'd rather be voted out than quit."

"I like his style at least." Kida said with a grin.

SSBFreak shrugged. "Okay. Before we get to the voting, I have to ask." He said. "D'looa, are you giving up Immunity tonight?"

D'looa sighed. "No." She replied.

"D'looa is safe and can't be voted out. It's time to vote." SSBFreak explained. "Zoe, you're up."

Zoe sadly left the hut and went over to the voting table. She wrote down a name and placed it into the urn.

Elias wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "Only because you asked. Sorry it ended this way." He said, having voted for Jonathan.

Sandy approached the table and wrote down a name. "I know how you feel, Jonathan. That happened to me once. Not fun." She shook her head.

Jonathan wrote down a name with hid uninjured hand. "I need to vote for someone." He said, having voted for Mel. "I still say you're too big of a threat."

Mel silently walked up to the table and sadly wrote a name down. She placed the ballot into the urn and went back the way she came.

D'looa shook her head and wrote a name down. "Zoe DID warn you, Jonathan." She said, placing the ballot into the urn.

Marty wrote down a name and showed it. "Sorry to say this, but your injury probably saved mel and I." He said, having voted for Jonathan.

Once everyone had voted, SSBFreak fetched the urn and returned with it after a short while. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote; Jonathan." No one even blinked.

"Mel. That's one for Jonathan and one for Mel." Even with this, Mel looked unfazed, and simply sighed.

"Jonathan." Again, no one flinched.

"Jonathan." On the jury, Reginald rolled his eyes, muttering a 'Get on with it'.

"Jonathan." Jonathan just wanted Tribal Council to be over now.

"Jonathan. Last vote, sixth member of the jury and twelfth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Jonathan. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak finished.

"Get them good, Zoe." Jonathan said as he stood up, grabbed his torch and walked over to the host.

"Jonathan, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak explained as he extinguished Jonathan's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Thanks." Jonathan replied as he walked out of the hut, still clutching his injured arm.

Once Jonathan was gone, SSBFreak turned to the remaining contestants. "Tonight's Tribal Council shows that anything can happen and the strongest of players can be forced to leave the game." SSBFreak explained. "There are six of you left. We're approaching the finale fast and things are really getting down to the wire. Keep in mind that anyone can win at this point in the game. You can all head back to camp."

The six remaining finalists stood up, gathered their torches and left Tribal Council, Zoe bringing up the rear. She just couldn't believe what had just happened, even if she knew it would happen as soon as Jonathan injured himself. She had relied on Jonathan for the majority of the game, and now that he was gone, Zoe was pretty much on her own.

"_I was playing an amazing game. I bet I even had the game in the bag. However, I had been so focused on winning that I just lost focus of my judgement, and it ended up costing me the game." Jonatha sighed. "All I can do now is hope that Zoe and D'looa are able to make it to the end. I don't know if I'd vote for anyone else…"_

**Voting History:**

**Jonathan – D'looa, Zoe, Marty, Mel, Sandy and Elias**

**Mel – Jonathan**

Author's Note: And so ends Jonathan's run on quite possible the least intense Tribal Council yet. Yes, he was a good player, but he was logically almost TOO good of a player to keep around until the end. I always wanted him to go at this point, but I had a hard time trying to figure out how to get rid of him other than a blindside. Him injuring himself was probably a good alternative.


	14. Days 34 to 36

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Man. That was a huge blow to our chances in the game and we were STILL able to keep our alliance a secret." D'looa moaned. "Jonathan injured himself so badly that he actually ASKED everyone to vote him out. Zoe and I are on our own for now, and she's going to be taking this especially hard since she relied on Jonathan to make all of the decisions since we started."_

Zoe watched as everyone else went to bed before spinning around and turning to D'looa, looking frenzied. "What're we gonna do?!" She whispered. "We needed Jonathan because he would be able to come up with ways to outsmart the others!"

"We didn't have a choice, Zoe. He injured himself and he himself didn't want to remain in the game any longer." D'looa replied. "We'll have to go the rest of the way without him."

"But I've been relying on Jonathan since the beginning!" Zoe insisted. "I'm not capable of the things he was!"

"We'll think of something." D'looa replied. "On the plus side, you probably won't be a target for a while."

"Why's that?"

"The others still aren't aware of our alliance. They may try to bring you in as a swing vote because you're not a physical threat." D'looa explained.

"You think we can still keep the alliance a secret?" Zoe asked.

"It's worked this long." D'looa replied. "We just need to keep it up for six more days."

Zoe managed a smile. "I think I can do that." She nodded.

"_Our one advantage that D'looa and I have left is the fact that the alliance is STILL a secret. Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage." Zoe said. "Jonathan may have been eliminated, but the two of us are still in the game and we're not going to let anyone else take the prize."_

The two girls quickly decided to head to bed, as they both knew that there was a big day ahead of them.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 34)**

"_Marty and I got SO lucky last night. Because Jonathan practically dropped out of the game because of his injury, we were able to survive another Tribal Council where I probably would have been kicked off anyways." Mel explained. "It's a good start, but Marty and I will need to pull out all stops if we want to survive until the end."_

"So what now?" Marty asked. "We got lucky with Jonathan getting injured, but I doubt it would happen again."

Mel appeared to be in thought. "Actually, I think I've got an idea." She said. "With Jonathan gone, Zoe is pretty much a free agent, isn't she?"

Marty lifted a non-existant eyebrow. "Yeah. I guess she is." He noted. "You think we could get her to join us?"

"It's probably our best chance. Zoe's going to be needing an alliance and if we can provide her with one, she'll vote with us." Mel explained. "This way, we may be able to get some of the bigger physical threats voted off before us."

"Okay. I'll try talking to Zoe when she's alone." Marty nodded. "If we can get her on our side, we may be able to get back into power."

"_This late in the game, we need all of the extra votes we can get. With Jonathan gone, Zoe's become a huge swing vote." Marty said. "Because she is more familiar with me because we were on the same team, I'll try talking to her. Getting her into an alliance with Mel and I will prove extremely helpful for us to make that last Tribal Council."_

Meanwhile, Elias seemed to be in deep thought as he pondered ways he could get ahead of the others.

"How can I take some of the attention away from myself for now?" Elias pondered. "I can probably convince the others to vote off Sandy or split Mel and Marty, but what should I do after that?"

"_I need to play the game strategically if I want to win. I've been on my own for a while, but I've been defying the odds and have managed to survive until the final six." Elias said with a smirk. "I still need to come up with a good way to outlast everyone else, because as it stands, I don't think I have the votes of enough jurors to win."_

"Zoe's without an alliance, so maybe I can get her vote in this." Elias mused. "She's on her own now, so I think she can do with an extra vote. I wonder if I can get her to turn on Mel and Marty first, though…"

Elias pondered this for a few more seconds before suddenly noticing Sandy splashing around in the ocean. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I wonder if she heard me plotting to myself." Elias said. "Hey, Sandy! Did you see me talking just now?"

Sandy turned. "WHAT?!" She called back.

"I asked if you heard me talking to myself!" Elias replied.

"_**WHAT?!"**_ Sandy asked again, standing up.

However, she was once again without a bathing suit. Elias stared at Sandy's chest for a few seconds before blood sprayed from his nose, making him fall off the rock he was sitting on.

Seeing Elias pass out, Sandy smirked. "Hehe. That never gets old." She said as she went under the water again.

_In a fashion similar to Jonathan earlier in the game, Elias was sitting in front of the camera, trying to stop his nosebleed. "Ugh. Okay, I think it's safe to assume that Sandy DIDN'T hear me talking to myself." He said. "I can't believe I just did that…"_

_A wet and fully-clothed Sandy sat in front of the camera, flashing a big grin. "Aren't horomones great?" She asked happily._

Later on, after Elias had recovered from his shock, Marty was able to catch Zoe alone and pulled her aside. "Uh…Zoe, I'm sorry about what happened to Jonathan." He said.

Zoe sighed. "It's okay. It's just that he and I have been partners since we started and I don't know if I'd be able to manage without him." She replied.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Marty pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Mel and I were wondering if you wanted in on our alliance." Marty explained. "Now that you're alone, you'll probably be targeted by the others."

Zoe paused. "I guess you're right." She noted. "So you want me to join you guys?"

"Yeah. I mean, with the three of us, that's already half of the votes right there." Marty explained. "If we can get one of the others eliminated, we'll be in power."

Zoe was silent for a few seconds before giving a nod. "Okay. I'm in. We'll see how well we can do with this." She explained.

"Good to see that you're on board, Zoe." Marty replied with a smile. "We'll see if we can target Elias or Sandy first."

"Okay. I'll talk to D'looa and see if she'll join us as well." Zoe nodded.

With that, Marty walked off, but once he was gone, Zoe gave a surprised smirk of her own.

"_D'looa was right. People see me as a solo swing vote because they still don't know I'm in an alliance with her." Zoe explained. "This is good, because now maybe I can bring D'looa partially onto the alliance as well and save her. This can't last forever, though. We'll need to come up with a plan once they get wise of our alliance."_

Later on, Zoe talked to D'looa when she was alone. Making sure no one was watching, Zoe approached.

"Good news, D'looa. Marty came to me and was wondering if I could be on an alliance with him and Mel." Zoe said.

"What did I tell you? You're being considered as a sole swing vote." D'looa said with a smirk.

"But Mel and Marty need one more vote for the majority, soI said I'd talk to you." Zoe said.

D'looa raised an eyebrow in amusement. "This is good. As long as those two don't get wise about our alliance, we'll be golden." She replied.

"Yeah. We'll see how it plays out." Zoe nodded.

"_We're basically having a free pass through Tribal Council in joining Mel and Marty, even if they don't know that we're playing them." D'looa pointed out. "As long as Zoe and I can keep our mouths shut, no one will catch on that Zoe isn't exactly a 'sole swing vote'."_

"Looks like Marty's catching supper." Zoe said. "Should we go over and join everyone?"

"We probably should. We don't want anyone getting suspicious."

The two girls quickly left the area to go see if supper was ready. However, after they did, a familiar black-haired woman emerged from the bushes, smirking to herself.

"_You'd think these people would know to check the bushes in the area before they start talking about secret alliances no one is supposed to know about." Sandy said with a smirk. "They're just lucky it wasn't anyone else to find out about it. I'm having way too much fun actually finding these things out that I don't want to spoil anything!"_

Night eventually rolled in. The six finalists went to bed, knowing that there was a challenge the next day, but no one knew what was in store for them.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 35)**

"_We're going to be having a challenge today considering nothing happened yesterday. If my hunch is correct, we'll be having a Reward Challenge today." Elias explained. "I know that everyone's going to be wanting whatever the reward is, because it's getting close to the finale. I don't know how many more of these we'll be getting."_

Elias walked up to the treemail box alone and approached it. Before he could reach inside the box to check for mail, he heard someone approaching him from behind. "You ready for whatever the challenge is today?" He asked as he turned to face the newcomer.

There stood Sandy, her face covered with tribal markings (where she had gotten the material Elias didn't know). "Oh, heck yeah! I must reclaim my throne as the queen of the challenges!" She proclaimed. "I don't care how hard or easy this challenge will be! Nothing separates me from ultimate victory!"

"Uh…Except for me and the other four finalists." Elias reminded.

Sandy's face fell. "Oh. Yeah." She said. "Crap. This is gonna be harder than I thought it would."

"_Ever since the start, I've been labeled as a crazy person that couldn't play the game well if her life depended on it." Sandy shrugged. "I like to let people think that, because unlike what some people think, I've actually got an attention span of…Over…Five…" Sandy trailed off, looking somewhat distant. After a few seconds, she looked at the camera and smiled. "………I like cheese!"_

Elias wisely chose to pass Sandy by, as he had found treemail inside the box. Sandy watched him pass, blinked a couple of times, then raced after him.

"We've got treemail." Elias called out, getting everyone else's attention.

"I take it that the mail's as descriptive as usual?" D'looa asked.

"You'd be right. It asks 'How strong are your shoulders'?" Elias read.

"Man. Another physical task?" Zoe asked. "Are they doing this on purpose or something?"

"I know. Hopefully, we'll be able to surprise ourselves." Marty supplied.

"_All of these physical tasks after the merge…People like Marty, Zoe and I are pretty much outshined by everyone else still here." Mel moaned. "The only things we can hope for going into anything physical is that the people stronger than us royally screw up."_

**(Reward Challenge)**

The six finalists walked onto a clearing and found the usual black mat. The contestants walked over to the mat and stepped on, waiting for SSBFreak to start.

"Welcome to your final Reward Challenge, everyone." SSBFreak said. "For this Reward Challenge, you need to work in teams of two."

"This is the last Reward Challenge?" Elias asked.

"Teams of two?" Mel asked. "Do we choose who to team up with?"

"No. You will all still be playing against each other." SSBFreak explained. "Your partners will be people you may be familiar with."

Zoe gasped excitedly. "This is the Guest Challenge?!" She asked.

"That's right. Come on out everyone!"

Six people emerged from within the jungle, walking onto the clearing. Leading the pack was a brown-haired woman with a blue suit on.

"Representing MySims, it's Rosalyn."

Mel's eyes lit up. "Mayor Rosalyn!" She said as the mayor of her town came over.

Next was a tall, bald, dark-skinned man with a white shirt. "This is Walter, a director from the Movies." SSBFreak said.

Elias' eyebrow lifted in surprise. "Well, well. Walter. Isn't this a surprise?" He said with a smirk.

Next was a blonde man dressed in a black shirt, black pants and a solo black glove. "I'm sure everyone would be familiar with Luke Skywalker from Star Wars." SSBFreak said.

D'looa gasped. "M-Master Luke!" She stammered before politely bowing for the Jedi Master.

Next was what looked like a koopa clad in a blue robe and glasses. "Coming straight from the Mushroom Kingdom, it's Kamek." SSBFreak explained.

"Oh! Master Kamek! It's been so long!" Marty exclaimed.

Next was a green frog in a yellow jumpsuit, complete with a red cap. "Here's Slippy Toad from Starfox." SSBFreak explained.

"Slippy! How's it going?" Zoe asked.

Finally, there was a tall, brown dog dressed in a suit and fedora. "Finally, there's Sam from Sam & Max." SSBFreak said.

"No way! Awesome!" Sandy cheered.

The six guests stepped onto the mat with the finalists as SSBFreak continued. "The premise of this challenge is simple. Everyone will be given a plank with ten clay bowls on it. Your mission is to have both members carry ten bowls twenty yards. If anyone drops any bowls, they can continue on, but once they get the other bowls across the finish line, you'll need to go back and get the ones that dropped, because you need all ten of them across the finish line to win." SSBFreak explained. "The first team to each get their ten bowls across the finish line will win Reward, which is a feast at a resort."

The twelve people cheered at what was at stake, doubled with the knowledge that this was the last Reward Challenge.

"If everyone will go line up, we'll get you all started."

The teams of Mel & Rosalyn, Elias & Walter, D'looa & Luke, Marty & Kamek, Zoe & Slippy and Sandy & Sam lined up at the starting line, each with a plank over their strong shoulder. Each of the planks had ten bowls on it, and everyone was quickly finding it hard to balance the plank simply standing still.

"Okay, for Reward, Survivors ready…" SSBFreak said. "…Go!"

The twelve people took off, some going much faster than others. Sandy & Sam took an early lead, but Elias & Walter were coming up behind them. On the other hand, Zoe & Slippy were falling behind, as they looked like they were proceeding with caution.

Sam quickly noticed that Sandy was going a little too fast. "Great grinning, galloping, gleaming goldfish goading a green goat!" He exclaimed. "Sandy, slow down before-"

Unfortunatly, in the time Sam took to talk, Sandy had lost balance and dropped a couple of bowls to the ground.

"Aw, nutbunnies!" Sandy said. "I'm gonna have to come back for them!"

Kamek was trying to keep the plank balanced on his shoulder, but was unable to keep a few of his pots on the plank. The magikoopa sighed. "I was hoping that wouldn't happen." He lamented.

"You can't use your magic to keep the plank balanced, Master Kamek?" Marty asked.

"The production team forbade me from using magic." Kamek shook his head as he continued forward.

Meanwhile, Zoe & Slippy were still trailing, although they had managed to pass the bowls that Sandy had dropped. Although they were taking their time, neither of them had dropped anything yet.

"How're you doing, Slip?" Zoe asked.

"I'm still good, Zoe." Slippy nodded. "How're things on your end?"

"Still managing. We just need to make sure we don't drop anything."

"Keep your eyes open, Zoe. Rosalyn just dropped a couple of bowls and you're walking towards them."

Mel looked at Rosalyn after seeing her drop a couple of bowls. "You okay there, Mayor Rosalyn?" Mel asked.

"I'm fine, Mel. I just need to come back for those." Rosalyn nodded.

Mel turned to continue her walk, but in the process accidentally dropped a couple of bowls off of her plank.

"Gah! I just lost another couple of bowls!" D'looa said. "Man. If only I were allowed to use my force powers."

"We'll just have to make do with our physical skills, D'looa." Luke reminded. "You should know that. You've been in the game long enough."

"I know, Master Luke." D'looa moaned.

"We're almost there, Elias." Walter said as he approached the finish. "We're going to have to go back for a couple of bowls, though."

"You would know. You're the one that dropped them." Elias said with a smirk.

"Oh, like you DIDN'T drop any?" Walter countered.

The six teams continued on, trying not to lose any more bowls. Sandy & Sam crossed the finish line first, but they were down five bowls.

"Come on, Sandy. We need to go back." Sam instructed as he took the bowls he was carrying off his plank and carried it back to where he and Sandy had dropped some of the others.

"Right behind ya, Sammy!" Sandy replied cheerfully as she chased after the canine detective.

Elias & Walter came next, but SSBFreak noticed that they were missing some bowls as well. "You guys are missing four bowls, two each." He explained. "You'll have to go and bring them back."

"Let's get a move on!" Elias instructed. "If everyone else dropped some, we still have a chance!

The other teams arrived at the finish line, but they were all missing some of the bowls. However, while they were all gone, Zoe & Slippy managed to cross the finish line. SSBFreak looked at the planks the two mechanics were carrying and saw that they each still had ten bowls.

"We have a winner!" SSBFreak said. "Zoe and Slippy win Reward!"

The two mechanics dropped their planks and cheered loudly. The other teams groaned as they dropped their planks, realizing how close it had gotten.

**(Later…)**

"Zoe and Slippy, congratulations on winning Reward. You two will be spending the rest of the day at the resort and will enjoy the feast." SSBFreak explained. "However, we've got room on the helicopter for two more, so which team will you guys like to take along with you?"

Zoe appeared to be thinking for a few seconds. "Um…D'looa and Luke." She finally said.

The Jedi Knight and Jedi Master looked at each other and shrugged before walking over to join Zoe and Slippy.

"These four will be going to the resort and will join the rest of you at tomorrow's challenge." SSBFreak said to the remaining people. "Everyone else, you can all go back to camp."

As the other contestants led the other four guests away from the clearing, the winning teams were led off to the helicopter in another direction to go and enjoy the reward.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"Interesting camp you have, Elias." Walter noted as he and Elias walked through camp. "Is this your original tribe's camp or your opponents?"

"This was our opponents' camp. I got stuck with the camp that was worse off." Elias said.

"I hope you've been throwing people for a loop like you promised you would before you left." Walter said.

"You know it." The actor said with a smirk.

"_Elias and I go back a fair bit. We applied for the same studio together; he became an actor and I became a director." Walter explained with a smirk. "You can say that he got his confidence by starring in a few of my movies."_

"How do you stand right now?" Walter asks.

"There are three members of my original tribe left and three of our opposing tribe." Elias explained. "Not that it really matters. There's been a cross-tribal alliance and a few of us are actually swing votes here."

"Is anyone else here one of those swing votes?"

"That black-haired woman over there." Elias explained. "The other swing votes went on the trip."

"The woman hanging upside down from that tree branch?"

Elias sighed. "That's the one."

Meanwhile, Sandy was talking with Sam, and she was indeed hanging from a low-hanging tree branch. Sam was leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"It's awesome to see you again, Sam. You and Max are the main reason I like to throw rabid woodchucks at punks that annoy me." Sandy said.

"It's good to see that our methods have inspired others, Sandy." Sam chuckled.

"So were you their first choice to bring out or was Max unable to make it?" Sandy asked.

"You and Max on the island at the same time? The production crew didn't have enough insurance for that."

"Man. What a bunch of wimps. How many female interns did Max harass this time?"

"Eight, if memory serves me right." Sam said, rubbing his chin.

"Wow! That's only two short of his personal best!"

"_When Max and I first saw Sandy, we weren't expecting just how big of a fan of us she was." Sam chuckled. "Seriously, if Max took a day off sick, Sandy would be such a suitable substitute that no one would be able to tell the difference."_

"_It's great seeing Sam again, but I was really hoping to win that challenge with him. Then again, I've never neen a fan of that 'slow and steady wins the race' thing." Sandy mused. "I honestly think that the guy that first said it was soon run over by a parade."_

**(Resort)**

"_Zoe chose to take me along with her on the trip. While I'm grateful, I think she may have run the risk of people finding out about our alliance." D'looa said. "Seeing two people that everyone else thinks aren't on an alliance going off on a reward together may implicate an alliance between the two."_

"Boy. This food is great." Zoe smiled as she continued to eat.

"Yeah! I haven't had a meal like this since my team saved Corneria!" Slippy nodded.

"_I don't get a lot of good food on the Great Fox, so coming onto this show as a guest, then getting treated to a feast is amazing to me." Slippy said with a grin. "I know that I'm not an actual contender, but I bet Fox and the others are gonna be SO jealous of me when I get back!"_

"Zoe?" D'looa asked.

"What is it, D'looa?"

"Why'd you bring me along? I know we're on an alliance, but you should know that no one else is supposed to know that." D'looa explained.

This caught Slippy by surprise, making him stop eating for a second. "You guys are in an alliance? But Zoe seemed to think about who to bring along with her." He noted.

Zoe smirked. "Mel and Marty want me in on their alliance and I told them I'd talk to you." She replied. "When we get back, I'll just tell them that I talked to you."

D'looa sighed in relief. "Okay. That makes me feel a lot better." She said.

"_For once, I knew what I was doing on my own. I guess it was just pure luck that Mel and Marty wanted to bring me aboard." Zoe explained. "Now I just need to tell them that D'looa's on board as well and they'll keep us around for 'numbers'."_

Luke smirked. "That's actually a pretty crafty idea. You have no intention on actually joining them either, do you?" He asked.

"No. D'looa and I just want to get to the finals, because it's right around the corner." Zoe shook her head.

"Well, keep this alliance a secret, and I'm sure that you'll do fine." Luke assured.

"You think so?"

"Listen to him, Zoe." D'looa said with a smirk. "This is Luke Skywalker you're talking to. He knows all about tactics."

"_D'looa admires me, but I think she gives me a little too much credit. After all, I started off as a normal farmboy with no experience." Luke laughed. "Sure, I've got skills, but it can take a whole team of jedi to take down a strong Sith. I just so happen to be skilled enough to require a smaller team."_

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_I'm amazed at how much Mel's come out of her shell. When she left, she was such a timid girl." Rosalyn said. "And I was even more surprised to hear that a RUDIE had actually been the one to help her. I'm extremely proud of her, because I think she's going to look at life in the town a whole new way now."_

"So you guys are in an alliance?" Rosalyn asked. "Just the two of you?"

"Well, Crane was voted off a few days ago." Mel sighed. "And we've been trying to bring Zoe onto the alliance lately."

"But she ended up taking that alien girl with her." Rosalyn noted.

"Zoe told us she was going to talk with D'looa to see if she was in as well." Marty jumped in. "She hasn't had the chance until now."

"I hope she can sway D'looa. We need her for the majority." Mel added before looking at the blue-clad magikoopa sitting on a log. "Uh…Marty, I'm curious as to how you know Kamek."

"In short, Master Kamek's the only one in Bowser's forces that wouldn't kill me on sight." Marty explained. "I was his student for a little while and he had grown a little respect for me."

Kamek formed a smirk. "His training was coming along nicely until he decided to abandon Bowser's forces." He said. "Not that I can blame him, really. The foot soldiers of Bowser's army don't get very good working conditions."

"You were a pupil of Kamek?" Mel asked. "Does this mean that you can do magic?"

Marty rubbed his head. "I dunno. It's been a while…" He said.

"You may as well try it, Marty. I'm curious to see if your skills have rusted since you left." Kamek added.

Marty sighed and nodded. He pointed at a rock that was sitting on the ground and started twirling his finger. To the amazement of Mel and Rosalyn, the rock lifted into the air and spun around a few times before landing again.

"That's about as good as I can make it." Marty shrugged.

"You've gotten a little rusty, Marty." Kamek noted. "We'll have to fix that somehow."

"_All this time Marty had those cool magic powers?! Why didn't he tell us?...Oh, he probably didn't want to use them to his advantage and get disqualified." Mel admitted. "I never would have expected him to be a wizard-in-training, though, even if he hasn't been one for a while. It just seems so unlike him…"_

"_Marty was definitely a promising student, but he unfortunately defected before I could teach him any real advanced magic." Kamek lamented. "Pity. If he had stayed on just a few months longer, he could have almost had enough magic abilities as me by now."_

Nightfall came along. The contestants at camp, as well as the guests, went to sleep to prepare for the upcoming challenge that would be coming.

**(La'nooba Triibe, Day 36)**

"_Our guests spent the night with us, so that probably means that they'll be helping us with the Immunity Challenge." Elias reasoned. "How they'll do that, I'm not sure. I just know that the challenge is going to revolve around them somehow."_

"Enjoy your first and only night here?" Mel asked the guests.

"I'm just glad I'm not spending a month out here." Rosalyn said. "How can you guys sleep in such conditions?"

"It's one of those things you get used to." Marty shrugged before looking around. "Uh…Where's Sandy? She wasn't in the shelter when I woke up."

"She's probably off with the wildlife." Sam shrugged back. "She's more at home with the animals anyway. Max and I once caught her howling at the moon."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Elias rolled his eyes.

"Oh! She's over there with Kamek!" Mel called out.

Everyone looked and saw Sandy and Kamek sitting on a couple of rocks, sound asleep. Kamek was sitting motionlessly, as if in a silent trance, while Sandy was snoring loudly as she looked like she was going to fall off the rock.

Walter approached Kamek and looked at him. "How is he able to sleep like that?" He asked.

"Master Kamek is skilled in many forms of magic. As such, he has intense concentration." Marty explained. "Being able to sleep the way he is now is a clear sign of a great wizard."

"Okay. That makes sense, but why is the crazy woman like that as well?" Walter asked.

"We've learned not to press matters much with Sandy."

"_I couldn't sleep in such a cramped shelter, so I left and saw Kamek sleeping while sitting straight up. I thought it looked cool and I tried to imitate him." Sandy said before spitting sand out of her mouth. "When I woke up, I was face-down in the sand. I guess I fell off the rock."_

After he had woken up, Kamek had gone with Marty as the koopa went to check treemail. When Marty reached into the box, he pulled out a letter. "Looks like we've got treemail." He noted.

"Ah. The next challenge already?" Kamek asked.

"Yeah. We'd best get back to the others, Master Kamek."

The two koopas wandered back to camp and summoned everyone else. After everyone was present, Marty opened the letter. "It says 'How's your memory of past contestants'?" Marty read.

"This is right up your alley, Elias." Walter said.

"If they don't throw a curve ball at me like they did with that stupid 'Internet Memes' quiz." Elias muttered.

"Hey! Internet Memes are not stupid!" Sandy said.

"You WOULD say that, wouldn't you?"

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The four contestants and four guests walked out into a clearing and walked over to the black mat that was sitting on the ground. Once everyone was on, they waited for SSBFreak to start.

"Before we start, let's bring in the two teams back from their Reward trip: Zoe & Slippy and D'looa & Luke." SSBFreak explained.

Two more contestants and two more guests emerged from the jungle and walked over to join the others on the mat.

"Okay. Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, La'nooba Tribe. Here, we'll see how much you know about the people you've outlasted." SSBFreak explained. Everyone saw six large billboards with twelve empty slots, a little bit of writing in between each two pictures. "There are currently six members of the jury and six people voted out pre-merge. In this challenge, you will be given six relationships or something two of these people have in common. You need to figure out which jury member and which pre-merge boot share the relationships we've given you. Remember that each relationship has to consist of one jury member and one pre-merger." The host continued. "Oh. And one more thing. The contestants aren't allowed to look at the board. The guests will be doing all the work and will have to describe the pictures as they go. The winner of this challenge wins Immunity at tonight's Tribal Council."

All of the contestants looked at their guests, realizing that Immunity technically depended on them.

"If you'll all choose a board, we'll get started." SSBFreak continued.

As the six guests were standing in front of the billboards, preparing to start, the six contestants were standing behind a part-wall, cutting them off and preventing any of them from seeing the board themselves.

"Okay, for Immunity, Survivors ready…Go!" SSBFreak shouted.

Almost instantly, the same question was asked by all six of the contestants.

"What are the relationships?" Elias asked.

Walter looked up at the board. "Okay, two people were blindsided, someone shoved someone else, two people suffered the same injuries, two people were rivals, someone ganged up on someone else and someone 'arrived after the elimination' of someone else." He read.

"Okay. One's easy enough." Elias nodded. "Do you have a picture of a platypus there?"

Meanwhile, Zoe had gotten similar ideas. Slippy pulled a picture of Tork from the group he was given. "A platypus? I think I've got it." The frog mechanic said.

"Okay. Put that picture in the pre-merge category for the injuries." Zoe explained.

Slippy placed Tork's picture into an empty slot on the board. "Okay. It's in."

"Great. Do you see a picture of a guy with brown hair?"

"Um…Yes. I've got it."

"Okay. That guy suffered similar injuries as the platypus." Zoe explained. "Put his picture up in the Jury section."

Slippy placed the picture in the slot. Unfortunately, it was a picture of Barney.

"Okay. The two rivals are dead-easy for me." Sandy said with a grin. "Sam, you see a picture of a Klingon? The woman with the wild forehead."

"Sweet Alaskan tuna sitting beside a two-month-old pulled pork sandwich! That's some forehead!" Sam said.

"Okay. She was rivals with the guy with the green bandana because they were the strongest." Sandy instructed.

"Ah. That makes sense." Sam nodded as he placed the pictures of Shee'Na and Barney in the slots connecting the rivals relationship.

"Okay. Is Jonathan's picture in place, Mayor Rosalyn?" Mel asked.

"It is, Mel. What next?" Rosalyn asked.

"I wish I knew about the blindside relationship." Mel mused, rubbing her forehead. "There've been a number of those so far. I just wonder which jury member connects to which…Wait! Mayor Rosalyn, you see the picture of the white-haired teen?"

"Oh. Is this that Crane person you've been telling me about?" Rosalyn asked as she looked at a picture of Crane.

"Yes. He and the orange-haired teen were both blindsided big time." Mel explained.

"Okay. I've got it." Rosalyn said as she put Crane's and Jake's pictures into their spaces.

"I'm positive that Shee'Na and Barney were rivals, and I know for a fact that Jonathan and Tork got injured." Marty mused. "The thing that puzzles me is the one about someone arriving after someone else was eliminated."

"No one was brought to your tribe before the merge, Marty?" Kamek asked.

"Not except for when…We…Wait a minute!" Marty said in realization. "Of course! That's exactly what they mean!"

"So who are the people, then?" Kamek asked.

Marty held his head in thought. "We…We kidnapped Angie after eliminating Nikko! By the time she arrived at our tribe, he was long gone!" He said. "It's the yellow cat for the jury and the older elf for the pre-mergers!"

"The way Shee'Na was talking about it, I think Lilah was the pre-merger that got blindsided." D'looa noted. "Try putting the picture of the younger elf there, Master Luke."

"We'll try it for now. You think the rudie was the jury member that got blindsided?" Luke asked.

"He had to have been." D'looa shook her head. "I'm trying to do a process of elimination here and that's the only one that makes sense when looking at the rest of the relationships."

"What the heck are they looking for when they say someone shoved someone else?" Elias asked. "Normally, I'd say Shee'Na shoved Reginald, but I know that Shee'Na's Barney's rival."

"Should I go onto the next one for now?" Walter asked.

"Yes. We'll come back to that one."

"What about the one about someone ganging up on someone else?" Sam asked.

Sandy pondered this for a few seconds. "The only thing I can think of is Reggie ganging up on Lilah on day 3 to get her eliminated." She mused. "Okay. Use the pictures of the rabbit and the younger elf, Sam."

"Will do, Sandy." Sam nodded as he placed the pictures of Reginald and Lilah in place.

"Okay, Slippy! Take the picture of the dark-haired man and place him as a rival to the Klingon woman!" Zoe urged.

Slippy blinked and placed Jonathan's picture up on the board where Barney's was supposed to go. "I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. That guy doesn't look like he'd be her rival." He mused to himself.

"Man. There's only four pictures left and I don't know where they'd go." Marty sighed. "The only thing is that finding a relationship as simple as shoving someone could mean anyone."

"Well, let's ponder the possibilities, Marty." Kamek asked. "This blonde-haired woman seems to be a pretty angry person. Did anyone shove her at all?"

"Shee'Na did, but I know that she's Barney's rival." Marty explained before pausing. His eyes widened. "Wait! I can't believe they had something like that from so early in the game! Master Kamek, use the pictures of the green alien girl with the spiked forehead and the blonde woman!"

Kamek placed Kida and Bonnie's pictures up and looked at the remaining pictures, Crane and Jake. "And it looks like these two just go up there by process of elimination." He said as he put them up.

"The challenge is over! We have a winner!" SSBFreak announced.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the victor's board to see what they had done wrong.

"Crane and Jake were both blindsided, Kida shoved Bonnie off the cliff on day 2, Jonathan and Tork were both injured, Barney and Shee'Na were rivals because of their strength, Reginald used his majority power to gang up on Lilah and Temlin kidnapped Angie after eliminating Nikko!" SSBFreak said. "Because Kamek finished first, Marty wins Immunity!"

Marty cheered loudly as he leapt over the wall he had been standing in front of and congratulated Kamek. The magikoopa simply smirked and nodded in satisfaction.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning Immuntiy, Marty. This would be your first individual win for these challenges." SSBFreak said as he handed Marty the Immunity Necklace.

"Amazing. I didn't think I'd actually pull it off." Marty said.

SSBFreak turned back to the other five contestants. "Marty is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing all six of you at Tribal Council, where you'll be voting someone off." He explained. "Guests, I'm going to have to ask you all to leave, because your time on the island is unfortunately up. Everyone, say your goodbyes, because you can all head back to camp."

The six finalists bid farewell to their guests in a variety of ways ranging from handshakes to friendly hugs. The contestants watched as the guests walked away and left the clearing themselves when the guests had gone.

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"So you talked to D'looa, Zoe?" Marty asked. "Is she in?"

"Yeah. She's in." Zoe assured.

"_Marty and Mel practically came to us looking for extra votes. This is pretty much a free pass through Tribal Council." Zoe explained. "All we need to do is keep the focus off of ourselves and they won't even suspect that D'looa and I have been in an alliance for a while!"_

"So who's the target?" Zoe asked.

"We're voting for Sandy." Marty explained. "She's already won two Immunity Challenges. That pretty much tells us how big of a threat she can become."

"Got it. I'll go tell D'looa."

Zoe quickly left the scrawny koopa and went over to find her Twi'lek friend to relay the message. "Looks like we're voting for Sandy." She explained.

"Makes sense. She's the bigger threat." D'looa nodded. "You don't think they're suspicious, do you?"

"I don't think so. We should just be thankful that they're letting us tag along for a bit." Zoe nodded.

"_I'm not letting my guard down. This is Survivor, and thus anything is capable of happening." D'looa reminded. "All it takes is a slip of the tongue and everything is out in the open. I wouldn't count Mel and Marty out for finding out about us yet. We haven't reached the finale yet."_

"So what do you think we should do after tonight?" Zoe asked.

"After tonight, we'll target Mel and Marty. We'll take them out at four and five and then we'll take out Elias at three because we outnumber him." D'looa explained with a smirk.

"I just hope this works out. Jonathan planned something similar and look at what happened to him." Zoe sighed.

"We just need to remember to keep quiet about the alliance, Zoe." D'looa reminded. "If we can hold on just a few more days, we're golden."

With that, D'looa and Zoe walked off. However, after they had gone, Mel walked around from behind a tree, not looking pleased.

"_I can't believe it. D'looa was in on Jonathan & Zoe's alliance for who-knows-how-long. This changes my entire gameplan." Mel sighed. "Marty and I are going to need to reconsider this alliance with Zoe, because this could end badly for both of us if we let it continue."_

**(Tribal Council)**

The six remaining contestants walked into Tribal Council, carrying their torches. Finding their seats, the six finalists sat down and waited for council to start.

"Before we start, let's bring in the members of the jury." SSBFreak said. "Angie, Barney, Kida, Reginald, Crane and Jonathan, whom was voted out at the last Tribal Council."

The finalists watched as the jury entered the hut, Jonathan bringing up the rear. He was wearing a short-sleeved, button-up shirt, his hair was cut and his injured arm was in a sling. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when they saw that Jonathan was now wearing glasses.

"They will not address them and you are not to address you. They're just here to watch the outcome." SSBFreak explained. "Marty, you won Immunity. Do you think you'd be going home without it?"

"It's a hard call. I'm not a physical threat by any means, so I think I probably would have been okay without it tonight." Marty shrugged.

"He seems to forget that he was in a major alliance." Barney mused.

"He still is." Angie reminded.

"Elias, you seemed to think that you had that challenge in the bag." SSBFreak pointed out. "And yet, you lost. Why was that?"

"I was extremely close. I was actually down to my last four pictures when Marty and Kamek finished." Elias explained. "I was doing well, but he just had a quicker draw than I did."

"And for the record, I did NOT 'gang up' on Lilah." Reginald muttered to the jury.

"Sandy, you've won Immunity twice now. Are you in danger now that you don't have it?" SSBFreak asked.

"I dunno. I may be one of the strongest left, but there are others that just play smarter." Sandy pointed out. "I think it'd be a better choice to kick them off before me."

"I STILL say she's secretly a mastermind." Crane shook his head.

"D'looa, how was it to see someone you haven't seen in over a month?" SSBFreak asked.

"Seeing Master Luke again was amazing. The family and friends challenge is the challenge I was really hoping I'd make because of the special guests." D'looa said with a smile. "I'm sure everyone else was feeling the same way."

"I would have liked to see Larry again…" Jonathan lamented at seeing how close he had gotten.

"Mel, we're approaching the finale fast. What's your strategy?" SSBFreak asked.

"This late in the game, we need to make sure that we take out the biggest threats, or work together if you're in an alliance." Mel explained, looking surprisingly serious. "That way, you'd have a better chance at actually making the finals."

"She knows something, man." Kida mused. The other jurors agreed.

"Zoe, who's going home?" SSBFreak finished.

"Everyone in the game at this moment is a threat. I think the floor's wide open for elimination possibilities." Zoe scratched her head. "We'll just have to see how the votes play out."

"Well, I think that's enough questions." SSBFreak explained. "Before we start, will you be giving up Immunity, Marty?"

"No way, man."

"Marty is immune from tonight's vote and can't be voted out. It's time to vote. Mel, you're up."

Mel walked out of the hut and over to the voting table. "Even with what I just found out, you're still the biggest threat." She said, having voted for Sandy.

D'looa approached the table and wrote a name down. Sticking it into the urn, the Twi'lek Jedi left the table.

Elias smirked and wrote a name down. "I'm just glad it's not me." He said as he placed his vote into the urn.

Sandy scribbled a name down and showed it to the camera. "You're the biggest threat by far, kid." She said, having voted for Mel.

Marty walked up to the table and quickly wrote a name down. He placed the ballot into the urn and left the table without a word.

Zoe grabbed the provided pen and wrote a name down. Once she was finished, she stuck it into the urn.

Once everyone had voted, SSBFreak fetched the urn and came back after a while. "After I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. "It's time to read the votes."

"…First vote, Sandy." Sandy looked unfazed. In fact, she was grinning.

"Mel. One vote Sandy and one vote Mel." Mel blinked a couple of times, but also looked unfazed.

"Sandy." The crazy woman still looked unfazed.

"Sandy." The grin didn't vanish from Sandy's face in the slightest.

"Sandy." Sandy couldn't help but chuckle. "Last vote, seventh member of the jury and thirteenth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Sandy. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.

"I guess I should have seen it coming." Sandy shrugged nonchalantly as she stood up, grabbed her torch and walked over to SSBFreak.

"Sandy, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Sandy's torch. "It's time for you to go."

Sandy reared back and took a deep breath. _**"LEEROOOOOOOOOYYYY JEEEEEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIINS!!!!!!!!"**_ She screamed at the top of her lungs and raced out of Tribal Council, leaving a stunned jury, stunned finalists and an even more-stunned host.

SSBFreak blinked a couple of times before looking at the five remaining contestants. "Tonight shows that even people that don't seem like it can be considered a major threat." SSBFreak explained. "There are five of you left, but only three days left in the competition. Two more need to go before we have our finals. Keep that in mind for later, but for now you can all head back to camp."

The five remaining finalists stood up and collected their torches, still a little stunned at Sandy's exit. Mel brought up the rear, in deep thought. She had found out about a secret alliance between Zoe and D'looa, and she knew that if she and Marty were to have any chance at making the finals, she'd have to act and act fast. The biggest problem was that she didn't have much time to put a plan together…

"_Yeah, I'm not surprised that they decided to give me the boot. I was just too big of a threat to keep around any longer." Sandy shrugged. "Hey, I made the final six and I had the most freaking amazing time of my life out here. I've got no regrets and I don't think I would have wanted to play the game any differently."_

**Voting History:**

**Sandy – Mel, Marty, Elias, D'looa and Zoe**

**Mel – Sandy**

Author's Note: Hey, you all knew it had to end sometime, right? Sandy was one of my favourite characters to write for, even though she had no chance of winning from the start. In the developing stages, I wanted a crazy person to last a long time (like Izzy from Total Drama Island), but at the same time have a slight hint of complexity. I'm extremely satisfied with how Sandy came out in the end. If I ever do enough of these to do an All Stars, Sandy's probably a shoe-in.

You may notice that the guests aren't all the main characters of the series. I wanted to invite guests that I think the finalists would get along with (such as Slippy for Zoe). Walter is a semi-canon, semi-OC, because I used the appearance of a model from the game and just stuck a name onto it.


	15. Day 37

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_We voted out Sandy because we figured that she was the biggest threat. However, before Tribal Council, I found out something I probably wasn't supposed to know." Mel said. "D'looa and Zoe are in an alliance together and they were probably in one with Jonathan as well. I'm just glad I found out when I did. If I wasn't listening in on their conversation, I'd probably be picked off next."_

Mel waited for D'looa and Zoe to go into the shelter to prepare for the following day. Once Mel saw the two girls go to bed, she pulled Marty aside. As she did, Elias entered the shelter and went to bed himself.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Marty asked. "You look kinda flustered."

"Marty, before Tribal Council, I overhead Zoe talking with D'looa." Mel explained. "The two of them were in an alliance long before we even approached Zoe."

Marty did a double-take. "Wait. They were already in an alliance?" He asked.

"Yes. And they're planning on picking us off next." Mel nodded. "We're going to need to stop them at their own game if we want to last until the finals.

"_When Mel told me that we were being played, I was surprised to say the least. I never thought that D'looa was already in league with Zoe." Marty shook his head. "I guess they kept their alliance a better secret than we could with ours. Even still, this isn't good. Thankfully, if we play our cards right, we can still outnumber them."_

"So what do we do?" Marty asked.

"Our only option is to get Elias to vote with us." Mel explained. "If we can do that, we'll be able to get the best of them before they can take us out."

Marty gave a nod. "Okay. Sounds like a plan." He said. "We'll see what we can accomplish tomorrow."

"_I came too far to just give up now. There's only five people left and I'm one of them." Mel explained. "I'm not going to let myself be blindsided by an alliance that's been kept secret. If I can work around this the right way, D'looa and Zoe won't know what will hit them in the end."_

Mel and Marty decided to head to bed. They'd need the sleep for their uphill battle, anyway.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 37)**

"_About fifteen days earlier, I wouldn't want to team up with Elias if my life depended on it. However, Zoe and I are in a tough spot and we need his vote to beat out Mel and Marty." D'looa explained. "It's a good thing Zoe and I have been keeping our alliance a secret, though. Once we get to the next Tribal Council, I don't think Mel or Marty will see anything coming."_

"Elias, we're going to need your vote again." D'looa explained as she approached Elias.

"Ah. I'm the swing vote again?" Elias asked with a smirk. "Who do you want to get kicked out this time?"

"We need to split up Mel and Marty." D'looa explained. "This late in the game, I think you'd agree with me that letting them both go any further would be stupid."

"Indeed. I couldn't agree more." Elias nodded.

"So can I trust you to vote with me?" D'looa asked. "I already checked with Zoe and she's okay with it."

"For now, you have my vote." Elias responded. "We'll just have to see how the day pans out."

"_Right now, my strategy is to stay with an alliance, but not for long. If I stay too long, the alliance will get rid of me." Elias explained. "I seem to be doing well enough by slipping under the radar. The others are intent of taking each other out, so that works for me because I'll be saved as long as I vote with someone."_

D'looa went back over to Zoe after her talk with Elias. "So far, he's on board." She explained.

"Can we trust him?" Zoe asked.

"Not in the slightest. Fortunately for us, Elias knows he'll be a target if he sides with them and gets rid of us." D'looa reminded.

"But won't that be his fate if he sides with us as well?" Zoe quizzed.

"We're just going to have to prove to him that Mel and Marty are the bigger threats here."

"_We don't trust Elias, but we'll have to here. The biggest problem is that he knows that he'll be screwed no matter who he sides with." Zoe sighed. "We'll just have to hope that he can see that Mel and Marty are bigger threats for winning so he'll side with us in the end."_

"Hey! We've got treemail already!" Marty called out as he came back with a letter.

"Already? Doesn't it seem a little early?" Zoe asked.

"We've only got three more days." Elias replied. "We must be in the home stretch."

"It says 'How accurate are you'?" Marty read.

"What do you guys think it will be?" D'looa asked.

"It doesn't sound physical, so I guess that's a plus." Mel scratched her head.

**(Immunity Challenge)**

The final five contestants walked out onto an opening in the jungle and walked over to the black mat on the ground. The finalists stepped onto the tribe mat and waited for the host to start.

"Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, La'nooba Tribe. Here, we'll be seeing how well you can pass as archers." SSBFreak explained. The finalists saw five targets lined up a ways away. "You'll each have five arrows and one target. On each target, there are ten rings, which are worth more points the closer you get to the middle. The goal is to have the highest overall score after five shots, because the winner of this challenge will win Immunity for tonight's Tribal Council."

The five contestants looked at each other nervously, realizing that their position in the game depended on how well they could do this challenge.

"If you'll all choose a target, we'll get started."

The five contestants chose their targets and each grabbed the bow that was sitting at each target. Everyone stood waiting for the challenge to start.

"Also, to avoid distraction, we'll be doing this one person at a time." SSBFreak pointed out. "In addition, if anyone tries to throw the person shooting off, the person shooting will receive the maximum amount of points for that arrow."

SSBFreak started at the front of the line. Marty was up first, and the koopa was holding his first arrow in his bow, ready to start. "You can launch your first arrow when ready, Marty." SSBFreak explained.

Marty took a deep breath and pulled the string of his bow back, launching the arrow from it. The arrow flew through the air and landed in the third-outermost ring.

"Not bad. That's worth three points." SSBFreak said.

Marty took aim again and shot another arrow. His aim was a little better this time and he managed to land the arrow in the 5-point ring.

"That brings your current total to eight."

"Okay. I need to make these count." Marty said as he shot his third arrow after taking aim. The third arrow landed in the same ring as the second, but on the other side of the bullseye.

"Another five points. That makes twelve."

Marty's fourth arrow was off a little bit. Even after trying to aim properly, Marty couldn't get it closer than the 3-point ring again.

"Uh-oh. You're starting to slip, Marty. That's fifteen points."

"Way to rub it in. I need to make sure I get this." Marty muttered as he shot his last arrow. This one was a little better, but still only made it to the 5-point ring.

"Marty's final score is twenty points."

"Man. That sucked." Marty sighed.

Elias was next. When given the okay, the actor took aim and fired. His first arrow soared straight into the third-innermost ring.

"And Elias starts off with seven points."

"Not bad, but I think I can do better." Elias said with a smirk as he fired his second arrow. Unfortunately for him, this one hit the 5-point ring.

"And that makes the current total twelve points."

Wanting to do better than seven points, Elias tried again. However, he once again only made a hit in the 5-point ring.

"Another five points. The total is now seventeen."

"I can do better than this." Elias muttered as he took aim and launched his fourth arrow. This one landed in the seven-point ring.

"Another good shot. The score now stands at twenty-four."

"One more arrow. If I can get a good lead…" Elias mused as he fired his fifth arrow. This one landed in the five-point ring again, much to his annoyance.

"Elias' final score is twenty-nine. Marty is now unable to win."

"Not bad, but I'm capable of more." Elias mused.

Zoe was next. The skunk girl tried to take aim, but was inexperienced with a bow and only managed to get two points on her first attempt.

"Not off to a good start, Zoe. That was only two points."

"Okay. I've ironed the kinks out. Let's try again." Zoe mused as she took aim and launched her second arrow. This one was a lot better shot, but still only managed to hit the five-point ring.

"The score is now seven points."

Gritting her teeth, Zoe was determined to do a lot better. She tried again and launched her third arrow, but this one only made the four-point ring.

"The current score is eleven points."

Trying again, Zoe shot her fourth arrow. Unfortunately, this one didn't fare much better than her last and hit the four-point ring again.

"The score now stands at fifteen points."

"Man. Can I even win now?" Zoe muttered to herself as she took aim and shot her last arrow. Unfortunately, it hit the three-point ring.

"Zoe's final score is eighteen. Not enough to catch Elias."

"I've never been good with a bow and arrow."

D'looa was next. When given the okay, the Twi'lek girl let her first arrow go and sent it straight into the eight-point ring.

"Another nice start. D'looa starts with eight points."

"I just need to keep this up." D'looa mused to herself as she took aim again. She shot her second arrow and managed to get it into the six-point ring.

"Her score is now at fourteen points."

D'looa remained silent as she took aim with her third arrow. Letting her bow's string go, D'looa shot her arrow into the seven-point ring.

"Another good shot. The score is now twenty-one."

"Almost there. Almost there." D'looa said to herself as she took aim again and let her fourth arrow go and sent it into the seven-point ring again.

"The score now stands at twenty-eight."

"Okay. Anything better than a one." D'looa said as she shot her final arrow. The arrow went through the air and hit the six-point ring. Not her best, but it was enough.

"D'looa's final score is thirty-four. Elias is now unable to win."

As D'looa sighed in relief, Mel prepared to go. The technician took aim with her first arrow and launched it at the target. It hit the middle of the five-point ring.

"Mel starts things off with five points."

"I can do better." Mel said as she took aim and launched her second arrow. The aim was a little better this time, but still only managed to hit the six-point ring.

"The current score is eleven points."

Mel tried to clear her head and concentrate on the target. Taking aim, she fired her third arrow, sending it into the six-point ring again.

"The score now sits at seventeen."

Mel knew that she needed to make a couple of big shots to win now. She took aim and fired her fourth arrow, allowing it to hit the eight-point ring.

"A nice shot puts Mel's score to twenty-five."

Taking a deep breath, Mel took aim and fired again for her last shot. However, this arrow went into the six-point ring, ending her game.

"Mel's final score is thirty-one. It's not enough!" SSBFreak said. "D'looa wins Immunity!"

The Twi'lek girl cheered at her victory as Mel sighed at how close she had gotten to beating her.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning your second Immunity, D'looa." SSBFreak said as he handed D'ooa the Immunity Necklace.

"Now I know how Sandy felt. I missed this." D'looa said with a grin.

SSBFreak turned to the other four contestants. "D'looa is safe, but I'll be seeing all five of you at Tribal Council, where you'll be voting someone off." SSBFreak said. "We're approaching the finale fast, so you need to start thinking as to who you want to take there. I'll let you guys have the rest of the day to make your decision, so you can all head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_This is good. D'looa won Immunity, and that means that we can target either Mel or Marty tonight." Zoe said with a grin. "Unfortunately, I think Mel and Marty may have gotten wise about our alliance, so we need to act fast. Personally, I think Mel should go. She's a much smarter player and probably already has enough jury votes to win the entire game. D'looa and I know that, but the problem will be to make Elias see that."_

"So you agree that we need to vote out Mel?" Zoe asked Elias.

"She's a pretty big threat, I'll admit." Elias nodded. "Yes. I'll probably end up splitting her from Marty."

"Good, because we need your vote for this, Elias." Zoe said as she wandered off.

"_If Marty and I are going to get the better of D'looa and Zoe, we'll need to cement Elias' vote. Unfortunately, he knows that he's expendable once we get rid of D'looa and Zoe, so no one knows how his vote will go." Mel sighed. "We just need to hope that Elias sees things our way and votes with us tonight."_

Shortly after Zoe had gone, Mel approached Elias. "Elias, Marty and I would like you to vote with us and vote Zoe out." She said.

"Because D'looa has Immunity, I take it?"

"Yes. If D'looa didn't have Immunity, we'd be voting for her, but we'll have to settle with Zoe this time." Mel sighed. "I hope you know that if you align with D'looa and Zoe, they'll dump you after getting rid of us."

"Oh, and you and Marty WON'T?" Elias smirked in amusement.

"Very funny. Elias, we NEED your vote here." Mel said. "At least think about it."

"Don't worry. I'll definitely think about it." Elias said.

"_I seem to be in a bit of a problem. No matter who I align with, they will get rid of me once it's just the two of them left." Elias explained. "My main concern is that I don't exactly know which two to align with…Unless…" A smirk floated across his face. "…You know…This could get to be pretty interesting…"_

**(Tribal Council)**

The five finalists walked into Tribal Council, carrying their torches. Finding their spots, the finalists sat down and waited for the council to start.

"Before we begin, let's bring in the members of the jury." SSBFreak said. "Angie, Barney, Kida, Reginald, Crane, Jonathan and…" The host did a double-take. "Uh…I think that's Sandy, who was voted out at the last Tribal Council."

The finalists looked surprised as they watched Sandy follow the rest of the jury in. What was strange was that she was now wearing a large, white rabbit suit, covering her entire body aside from her face, which was sticking out of the mouth of the huge mascot-like head of the costume.

"They will not address you and you are not to address them. They're just here to watch the outcome." SSBFreak explained. "D'looa, you won Immunity. Do you need it?"

"With both Sandy and Jonathan out of the game, I'm probably the strongest one left." D'looa admitted. "So yeah, I'd probably be a target without it."

"She's definitely stronger than Elias is." Jonathan shrugged.

"Elias, you seem to be sitting in the middle of two sets of votes." SSBFreak noted. "Where do you side?"

"In all honesty, I'm not sure. I've been approached by different people about voting for others." Elias explained. "As it stands, I don't know where my vote will be going."

"He's lying. He has to be." Reginald mused.

"Yeah. He'd never be so undecided." Angie agreed.

"Mel, do you think you're at risk tonight?"

"My name's come up, and quite frankly, I'm not surprised." Mel shook her head. "I think I've been playing a good enough game to get votes, so I guess that makes me a threat."

"Well, she's got MY vote. That's for sure." Crane mused.

"Zoe, how do you think the voting will go tonight?"

"Like Elias said, it's going to come down to him. Two people will probably be getting two votes, so he's the deciding factor." Zoe sighed. "It's hard to believe that someone fate rests in the hands of someone like him."

"I resent that." Elias piped up.

"I know you do."

"The vote rests with Elias. No good can come of this." Barney sighed.

"Marty, do you think you're in trouble for being a part of such a major alliance?"

"I need to play my cards right if I want to win, there's no question about that." Marty replied. "We're coming up to the finale, so it's going to be an uphill battle for anyone still here."

"The dude's got a point." Kida shrugged.

"Before we continue, I have to ask." SSBFreak said. "D'looa, you have Immunity. Will you be giving it up tonight?"

"No."

"Okay. D'looa is immune and can't be voted out tonight. It's time to vote." SSBFreak explained. "Marty, you're up."

Marty walked out of the hut and over to the voting table, where he wrote a name down. "There's no one left to vote for." He said, having voted for Zoe.

Zoe approached the table and quickly wrote a name down. "You're too smart to keep in the game." She said, having voted for Mel.

D'looa wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "If I want to win, you need to go." She said, showing Mel's name.

Elias smirked as he wrote a name down. "This will be VERY interesting." He said to himself.

Mel scribbled a name down and showed it to the camera. "If D'looa didn't have Immunity, I'd keep you over her." She said, showing Zoe's name to the camera.

Once everyone had voted, SSBFreak left and returned with the urn. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forth their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He said. "It's time to read the votes…"

"…First vote: Mel." Mel didn't look surprised, and just waited.

"Mel." Mel bit her lip, hoping for no more votes.

"Zoe." The skunk girl didn't look surprised.

"Zoe. That's two votes for Mel and two for Zoe." The two girls looked at each other, wondering who Elias had voted for. "Final vote…"

"…Marty."

Everyone in the hut did a double-take at the surprise vote, then looked at Elias, whom smirked in amusement.

"We have a tie between Mel and Zoe." SSBFreak said. "Unfortunately, we can't have that, so we need a tiebreaker. Will you two step forward?"

Mel and Zoe approached SSBFreak and sat down on the stumps he had directed them to. In front of each of them was a small amount of wood.

"When we have a tie, we resolve it with a fire-making tiebreaker." SSBFreak said as he handed flint to the girls. "Here's how it works. Whoever manages to start a fire first is still in the game. The other will be eliminated."

Mel and Zoe looked at each other as they prepared to start the challenge.

"Okay, get ready…" SSBFreak said. "And start!"

The two girls were quick to start work on getting a fire started. The jury watched in anticipation as for what the result of the challenge would be. D'looa and Marty watched nervously, hoping that their respective partner would pull off a victory. Elias sat back and watched the event unfold, himself curious as to what would happen.

The two contestants continued for a little bit before they both started forming a spark. Mel and Zoe picked up the pace, hoping to keep the fire alive without it dying out.

In a matter of seconds after that, someone's fire was blazing, while the loser's spark had vanished from sight. Everyone looked at the victor.

Mel cheered as she stood over her fire. Zoe sat on her stump, utterly defeated.

"Congratulations, Mel. You're still in the game." SSBFreak said. "That means that the eighth member of the jury and the fourteenth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…Is Zoe. You need to bring me your torch."

Wiping her eyes, Zoe stood up, grabbed her torch and brought it to SSBFreak, trying not to look either D'looa or Jonathan in the eyes.

"Zoe, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Zoe's torch. "It's time for you to go."

Zoe sniffed and waved at the others. "Bye guys. Good luck." She said as she sadly walked out of the hut and vanished from sight.

Once Zoe was gone, SSBFreak looked at the four finalists. "And thus ends the first and hopefully only tiebreaker we have to deal with. Zoe unfortunately didn't have the ability to make a fire as well as Mel did." He said. "There are four of you left and two days remaining in the competition. You'd better get ready for your final challenge tomorrow, where one more of you will fall. For now, you can all head back to camp."

The four finalists stood up, collected their torches and left Tribal Council. D'looa brought up the rear, still not believing what had just happened. She had seen the look on Zoe's face when she was eliminated and felt like her heart had been split in two. She could tell that Zoe wanted to remain in the contest more than anything, and that just made her feel even worse. All she could do now was do everything she could to win the game for both her and Jonathan.

"_I didn't want it to end this way. I really didn't. To lose in a fire-making tiebreaker is the most horrible feeling ever because you always feel you could have done a lot better." Zoe said, still wiping her eyes. "Still, I made it to the final five. That's definitely an achievement in itself. I suppose I should be proud of myself for managing to do that if anything."_

**Voting History:**

**Zoe – Mel and Marty**

**Mel – Zoe and D'looa**

**Marty – Elias**

Author's Note: Remember way back when I told you that Nikko was swapped for someone else so he would become an early boot? Zoe's the person he swapped with. Zoe was originally the fourth one off and Nikko was a late-gamer (but intended to go out around seventh). When I saw that I was having a better time writing for Zoe, I switched them around.

I loved writing for Zoe. Even I got a little upset when I wrote out her elimination. But I wanted a tiebreaker somewhere in the season and figured that this would be a good place to put it.


	16. Day 38

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Zoe was sent home at Tribal Council, but not because she was voted out, but because Elias forced a tie between her and Mel." D'looa explained. "This is just getting stupid. Both alliances went to him for votes and he didn't even vote with anyone?!"_

"_I am SO glad I paid attention to Crane and Barney when they were teaching me how to make fire. I probably wouldn't have been able to win that tie-breaker otherwise." Mel sighed in relief. "I'm amazed that I managed to pull it off, and from the looks on some of the others' faces, they were pretty amazed as well."_

"Elias, what was the deal with that?" D'looa demanded. "In voting for Marty, you forced the tie-breaker!"

"I know. That was kinda weird, even for you." Marty agreed.

"I wanted to force the tie. You all came to me and I didn't want to align with anyone." Elias replied with a smirk.

"_The reason I voted for Marty as opposed to Zoe or Mel was because I knew I was going to be expendable." Elias explained. "But now D'looa needs me to reach the finals, and she can see that clearly. I definitely wouldn't mind taking her to the finals over Mel and Marty because I know I can win against D'looa."_

"_I think Elias is going to try to align with D'looa now. I mean, he technically didn't vote Zoe out, so she can't hold that against him." Marty explained. "Plus, he knows he'd be expendable if he joined Mel and I. Mel and I are going to have to pull out all the stops if we want to beat out those two."_

"Look, what's done is done. We've got another challenge tomorrow, so I suggest that we just go to bed and prepare for it." Elias suggested.

The other three finalists realized they wouldn't get anywhere with Elias and agreed. The small group entered the shelter and went to sleep to prepare for the next day.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 38)**

D'looa was sitting at the beach, trying to catch a fish, but was more focused on her thoughts as to what she would do from this point on. Needless to say, she wasn't liking where she would be going.

"_I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to align with Elias to even have a chance at beating out Mel and Marty." D'looa sighed. "I know it's clear that I don't like him, but I need to cement his vote now more than anything."_

D'looa looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Elias coming over. "What do you want?" She asked.

"I know you're upset that I didn't vote with you and Zoe, but I did that so I wouldn't become expendable." Elias explained.

"So you practically threw a vote away in order to join the alliance that lost the tie-breaker challenge to make them take you to the finals?"

"Pretty much covers it."

"Okay. You've made your point. If you join me and help me take down Mel and Marty, we'll be in the finals." D'looa sighed.

"Don't worry. I swear that this time you have my vote." Elias promised with a smirk.

"_It's clear that she doesn't value my word, but she's got no choice. She's alone going against two members of a major alliance." Elias explained. "I know we may not be the best of friends, but we're going to have to rely on each other if we want to make it to that final Tribal Council."_

After the final four had eaten, Mel and Marty had gone to check on treemail. On the way over, the alliance members were talking.

"What do you think will happen?" Marty asked.

"It's us against them." Mel reminded. "The worst they can do is force another tiebreaker."

"I know, but that's what worries me. You were able to win the tiebreaker, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to do something like that." Marty said. "They'll probably know that and target me."

"Then I guess the best thing to do is try to win the final Immunity Challenge." Mel shrugged.

"_There's two of us and two of them. It looks like we'll have another tie on our hands. Marty and I need to find a way around this." Mel explained. "If we don't, the tiebreaker challenge won't be as friendly to us as it was last night."_

"_Mel got lucky last night, and we're going to need even more if we want to win this. I just don't know how possible that would be." Marty sighed. "Mel was extremely close to losing the challenge and I KNOW I wouldn't be able to do a challenge like that better than her. We need to find a way to avoid turning the vote into a tie."_

Marty pulled a letter from the box. "Looks like we've got treemail." He said.

"Well, we may as well get going." Mel nodded. "This will be the last challenge."

Mel and Marty returned to camp and summoned D'looa and Elias over. Marty read the letter again. "It says 'Follow the directions provided to pay respect to your fallen comrades. At the end of the path will be the final Immunity Challenge'." He read.

"Wow. That must be the most specific treemail we've ever had." Elias chuckled in amusement.

"Well, looks like we have to go and remember the others." D'looa said. "I guess that means we're approaching the end."

**(Fallen Comrades Path)**

The four finalists arrived at a path beside a huge river. They saw pictures of the eliminated contestants sitting beside unlit torches, going one at a time down the path. The finalists saw a note attached to a post at the start of the path and went over to it.

"It says that after we pay respect to each fallen comrade, we're to drop their torch in the river." Mel said.

"Sort of like a burial at sea, I take it." Elias said. "Well, shall we get started?"

The four went over to the first unlit torch, a picture of a blonde elf beside it.

"Who is she? She wasn't on my tribe." Elias said.

"Lilah. She had a lot of potential and was a better player than some people may have thought." Marty explained.

"Shee'Na told us that Lilah befriended her pretty quickly. Anyone that can befriend a Klingon in three days is good in my book." D'looa added.

"If you guys didn't kidnap me on day three, she'd probably be here instead of me." Marty sighed as he dropped Lilah's torch into the river.

"_I feel that I could have gone a lot further into the game if people had given me a real chance." Lilah explained. "Unfortunately, they didn't see it that way. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."_

Jake's torch was next. Mel looked at the picture of the smiling teen and smiled herself. "Jake. Talk about a lot of potential wasted." She said.

"I know. He could have done a lot better, but we were just forced to eliminate him earlier than we thought we would." Elias added.

"But you guys were going to get rid of him after Bonnie though, weren't you?" Marty asked.

"Even still, he would have lasted at least nine days longer than he actually did." D'looa said as she dropped Jake's torch into the river. "I still feel sorry for him."

"_What can Ah say? Ah just got screwed over with the cards Ah had been dealt." Jake admitted. "Ah still can't believe how close that vote had come…"_

The finalists came upon Tork's picture. Even though he wasn't around for long, everyone knew him because of how he went out.

"Talk about a shocking elimination. I never would have expected Tork to be evacuated like that." Mel sighed. "He seemed like such a good player as well."

"And he was able to fix my back as well." Marty added as he dropped Tork's torch into the river. "Man. You guys should have seen it."

"_I was in good form and was playing a good game. I just hadn't counted on my elimination being from something out of my control." Tork said. "Unfortunately, some things just can't be helped."_

"What's this guy's name again?" D'looa asked as she pointed at the picture of the old elf by the next torch.

"Nikko. You know what? He probably could have gone further than he did." Marty explained. "He just had one major flaw in his gameplay."

"What's that?" D'looa asked.

"He teamed up with Reggie. That pretty much made him a target for both Shee'Na and Sandy."

"Can't argue with logic like that." Elias shook his head as he dropped Nikko's torch into the river.

"_I think one of the reasons I was eliminated so early was because I didn't really bring anything new to the table." Nikko admitted. "I can understand that, but it's too bad I can't change it or else I probably would have gone a lot further."_

"Ugh. Bonnie." Mel sneered when she saw a familiar blonde woman's picture coming up. "Biggest liability EVER."

"I couldn't agree with you more." D'looa shook her head. "She only lasted eighteen days and I STILL think that was way too long."

"She annoyed us to no end when we kidnapped her as well." Marty added. "It's a good thing you guys got rid of her when you did."

"She dug her own grave deeper when I tried to help her out of it. It was out of my hands." Elias sighed. "Do you want to do the honors, Mel?"

"Gladly." Mel said as she grabbed Bonnie's torch and hurled it down the river as hard and as far as she could. _**"GOOD RIDDANCE!!"**_

"_I still can't believe that worthless rat managed to do so much better than me." Bonnie sneered. "My tribemates were idiots for kicking me off so early and I bet that they're regretting their choice by now."_

Shee'Na's torch was next. Marty was quick to go over to it. "I still can't get over the fact that someone got my tribe to vote out Shee'Na almost right after I had gotten her trust." He lamented.

"Did she really hate you?" Mel asked.

"Not so much that, just a little intolerant. Because you guys kidnapped me, her friend was eliminated." Marty explained as he dropped Shee'Na's torch into the river. "But once I was finally able to regain her trust, she was a good person."

"A little unusual considering that she's a Klingon." Elias noted.

"_I can't believe that actor and cat were the ones behind my elimination." Shee'Na said. "If they hadn't gotten the others thinking, I'd probably still be in the game."_

Elias saw Angie's torch coming up and chuckled in amusement. "I have to admit that you guys really got us at that Tribal Council." He said. "Neither Angie or I ever saw those votes coming."

"Well, you were getting a little too confident." Marty admitted. "We needed to do SOMETHING to knock you down a few pegs."

"So you vote out my alliance member and not me." Elias shook his head as he dropped Angie's torch into the river. "Yeah. Great plan."

"_I think that I would have done a lot better if I ended up on the other tribe." Angie admitted. "Maybe they wouldn't have taken my skills for granted and my plan would actually have worked."_

Barney was next. Mel grinned instantly. "Barney was awesome!" She said.

"I know. I loved seeing him explode on Bonnie." D'looa said. "I didn't think the big guy had it in him."

"Well, even I admit that putting up with Bonnie for so long would make anyone explode on her." Elias supplied.

"I know. I'm just surprised that Barney was the first one to do it." D'looa said as she dropped Barney's torch into the water.

"_I was too strong for the game. I guess that's a fact I can't change." Barney shrugged. "But at least I can go home and say the vote wasn't unanimous."_

D'looa saw Kida's torch coming up. "I still don't forgive you for voting out my friend, Elias." She said.

"Kida was extremely friendly and could make friends faster than actors switch agents." Elias insisted. "If I let her go to the finals, she would have won hands down."

"You have to admit that he's right, D'looa." Mel said. "Kida was probably the biggest jury threat in the game."

"I know, but it still doesn't seem fair." D'looa sighed as she dropped Kida's torch into the river.

"_I was sent to the one Tribal Council I shouldn't have gone, man. How much does that suck?" Kida lamented. "If I had survived that challenge, I'd probably still be in the game and stuff."_

D'looa smirked when she saw Reginald's picture coming up. "Reggie's blindside was epic, don't you think?" She asked.

"It took the Hidden Immunity Idol to take him out, so yeah, I guess it was pretty epic." Marty shrugged.

"I know I voted with Reggie, but I can't say he didn't have it coming." Mel added.

"What is it with people separating me from my team-mates?" Elias asked as he dropped Reginald's torch into the river.

"_I know I didn't win, but I was able to last long enough to prove that not all Rabbids are brainless psychopaths." Reginald said. "The fact that I was taken out with a big move proves that I was a big enough threat."_

Mel sighed when she saw Crane's picture coming up. "Why'd you guys have to eliminate Crane when you did?" She asked. "He was a good player and he was the one to help me drop my timid state I started the game with."

"I know. I think he could have won if he was given the chance." Marty added.

"An alliance of three when there's eight people left in the game?" D'looa asked. "That's a little TOO much of a threat."

"But you were in an alliance with Jonathan and Zoe." Mel said as she dropped Crane's torch into the river. D'looa's eyes widened.

"_It's not a good feeling when you're taken out by a blindside. I feel I could have dominated the finals." Crane said. "And I feel bad for leaving Mel and Marty to fend for themselves…"_

Elias saw that Jonathan's picture was next and shook his head. "I feel a little sorry for Jonathan. He was an excellent player, but just pushed his luck too far." He admitted.

"If he didn't get himself injured, he'd probably be standing here right now." D'looa nodded.

"He would have been a target anyway. He was WAY too strong of a player." Mel pointed out.

"He knew that. I guess that's what kept him going." D'looa reasoned as she dropped Jonathan's torch into the water.

"_I can't believe that it was a foolish mistake on my own part that cost me the game." Jonathan sighed. "That's what I get for feeling too confident with a challenge."_

Marty saw who was next and shook his head. "What can you really say about Sandy?" He asked.

"She was a complete lunatic." Elias said. "I still don't know how she made it to the final six."

"She was a mastermind. She had to have been." Mel said. "I can't think of any other way she could have made it that far."

"Well, I guess we'll never know now." Marty said as he dropped Sandy's torch into the water.

"_What can I say? I had the freaking time of my life and everyone was so worried that I was going to pull one over on them!" Sandy laughed. "Ah well. It's their loss for not enjoying the game like I did."_

Zoe's torch was the last on the path. D'looa spoke first. "Zoe looked so upset when she was eliminated." She sighed. "She really wanted to be here."

"She was a really great player." Mel admitted. "She just got hit with bad luck in the tiebreaker."

"At least she can say that she managed to outlast the apparent leader of her alliance." Elias supplied.

"I suppose that's right." D'looa said as she dropped Zoe's torch into the water. "I still feel real sorry for her, though."

"_I got SO close to the finals, it wasn't even funny. It sucks that I went out the way I did, but I finished fifth." Zoe said. "That's still way better than what I originally thought I was going to get."_

At the end of the path, the finalists saw SSBFreak standing in front of four round platforms on poles sticking about two feet off the ground. The finalists stopped to see what the ost had to say.

"Welcome to your final Immunity Challenge, finalists. It is essential to win this, because victory means a guaranteed spot in the final Tribal Council." SSBFreak explained. "These platforms are barely big enough for one person to stand on, but this challenge is going to be a test of endurance to see how long you can stand on the platforms without falling off." The finalists saw that the platforms were big enough to stand on, but small enough to make any sort of movement impossible. "If you fall, you're out. The last one standing in the end will win Immunity."

The four finalists exchanged nervous glances, knowing that their game basically depended on this final challenge.

"Once you're all up on the platforms, we can start the challenge." SSBFreak explained.

Everyone was given a set of stairs to get onto the platforms, and once the finalists were all standing on them, the stairs were taken away.

"Okay, the challenge has officially started. All I can say is good luck to you all, because I know you're all going to need it." SSBFreak said.

The finalists stood on the platforms, trying not to fall off, and they all remained silent as the clock started ticking. D'looa looked like she was the most-focused, and was looking at the others as she was balancing. Elias was looking at his feet, trying to keep his balance, while Marty and Mel wobbled in place a couple of times before regaining their footing.

This continued for a little bit before SSBFreak decided to start asking questions.

"You've all been up there for fifteen minutes already. Mel, how are you holding up?" SSBFreak asked.

"Not good. I'm just trying to outlast the others, and I know that they're trying as hard as I am." Mel admitted.

"D'looa, what's your strategy for this task?"

"I'm just trying to clear my head and focus on nothing but the challenge." D'looa shook her head. "If I lose concentration, I'm liable to fall off the platform."

"Elias, same question. What's your strategy?"

"I don't see it as outlasting everyone else." Elias admitted. "I only see it as outlasting three people. Makes the challenge seem a little easier."

"Marty, what's going through your head?"

"I want someone to drop. My legs won't be able to hold out forever." The koopa moaned. "Even fifteen minutes into the challenge, I'm starting to feel it."

The challenge continued on with no one dropping. D'looa and Elias still looked moderately comfortable, but Mel and Marty were starting to breathe a little heavier as they tried harder to keep their balance on the platforms.

The four finalists managed to endure standing on their platforms for another fifteen minutes. When he saw that the contestants weren't really getting anywhere, SSBFreak decided to start asking questions again.

"You've all been up there for half an hour now and no one's dropped yet." SSBFreak noted. "Elias, why do you think that is?"

"This is the final Immunity Challenge. Whoever wins this is in the finals." Elias replied. "Everyone here wants it."

"Marty, do you agree with that?"

"Oh, heck yeah. Even thought I'm tiring out, I'm staying up here until my legs buckle from underneath me." Marty explained. "I want Immunity, and I intend to get it."

"D'looa, how are you holding up?"

"Well, I'm still up here, aren't I?" D'looa asked. "Like Marty said, we're not just going to give up because we're tired. We all want this win."

"Mel, same question."

"I'm starting to tire out, but I'm not going to let that get the best of me." Mel said defiantly. "This is the last challenge, so I want to make sure I'm the last one standing here."

"Okay. I'll get back to you guys in a bit to check up on you." SSBFreak said.

The finalists looked like they were struggling to stand on the small platforms as time continued to tick. By now, all four contestants looked a little tired. Around this time, another fifteen minutes had passed.

"You've all been going for forty-five minutes. I'm impressed." SSBFreak said. "Elias, are you surprised that all of you are still up there?"

"I'm definitely surprised. Standing in one place this long would take its toll on anyone." Elias replied.

Suddenly, as if confirming Elias' point, D'looa slipped from her platform and crashed into the ground with a painful-sounding thud.

"Well, you're right on that, Elias. D'looa is the first one out."

D'looa grunted and pounded the ground with her fist in anger before standing up. "I can't believe I fell like that." She said as she weakly walked over to SSBFreak.

"Mel, after seeing D'looa fall, does that make you feel any better?" SSBFreak asked.

"A litte. D'looa looked like she was in the best shape out of all of us." Mel explained. "Her dropping means that the doors are still wide open for anyone."

"How are your legs holding out, Marty?"

"I feel that if I try not to think about my legs, I won't feel anything." Marty replied before pausing. "Actually, I don't think I CAN feel anything."

The three remaining contestants remained on the platforms as D'looa sat on the ground by the host. The remaining finalists knew that they needed this win to stay in the game, because anyone could go home at this point. After another fifteen minutes, SSBFreak asked some more questions.

"You three have been up there for an hour now and no one else has dropped yet. "Marty, did you picture yourself lasting this long?"

"You'd be surprised how much experience I have balancing." Marty explained. "I had to spend five hours perched on top of an empty Item Box so Mario wouldn't kill me."

"Elias, do you think you can last until Mel and Marty have dropped?"

"Anything's possible after seeing D'looa drop." Elias explained. "I just need to outlast two more people and I'm good."

"Mel, what's going through your mind?"

Mel bit her lip. Her legs were in pain and she knew that she couldn't win. "I can't do this anymore." She said as she dropped from her platform and landed on the ground.

"Mel is now the second out out. The challenge has come down to Elias and Marty." SSBFreak explained.

The actor and koopa looked at each other for several seconds, as if trying to intimidate the other into jumping. This looked almost comical because Marty wasn't looking very threatening at all.

The two continued to try and stay on top of the platforms, and they managed to hold out for another few munites. However, before SSBFreak started his next round of questions, someone had falled off their platform.

Elias sat up and rubbed her head with one hand and adjusted his shades with the other. Marty stood on his platform, eyes wide at the fact that Elias had actually fallen before him.

"Elias had fallen! The challenge is over!" SSBFreak announced. "Marty wins Immunity!"

Marty cheered as he weakly jumped off his platform. Mel cheered for her friend, but D'looa looked a little disappointed.

**(Later…)**

"Congratulations on winning the final Immunity Challenge, Marty." SSBFreak said as he handed Marty the Immunity Necklace. "You just won the most important challenge of the entire game."

"I know. It feels awesome." Marty said.

SSBfreak turned to the other three finalists. "Marty is safe tonight, but I'll be seeing all four of you at Tribal Council, where you'll be voting one more person off." He explained. "Thankfully, that won't be until tonight, so you can all head back to camp."

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_Marty won Immunity. This isn't good, because that leaves Elias and I to cause a tiebreaker with Mel." D'looa explained. "She's already beaten Zoe in a tiebreaker. She can probably beat us as well. We need to figure out a way to avoid the tiebreaker and still break Mel and Marty apart."_

"This definitely doesn't look good." Elias shook his head. "It seems that whoever they vote for will be eliminated in a tiebreaker."

"I know. There has to be something we can do…"

"For once, I don't know. What do you think?"

Slowly, a smirk floated across D'looa's face. "Actually, I think I may have a crazy idea." She said.

Meanwhile, Mel and Marty were celebrating the fact that one of them had one the final Immunity.

"This is great! I know I can make fire quickly now, so I can beat either of those two in a tiebreaker!" Mel explained.

"Yeah. The biggest question is who to vote for." Marty nodded.

"_I got my practice in the tiebreaker against Zoe. I can create a fire with ease now. Despite the fact that I know I'll be getting two votes, I'm confident I can beat out either Elias or D'looa." Mel explained. "If Marty fell during that challenge and I won Immunity, he probably wouldn't fare as well as I would."_

Before Mel and Marty could continue to think of who to vote for, they heard a pair of familiar voices coming towards them.

"You know what?! I'm getting sick of you! I've been putting up with you since the start and maybe we should have gotten rid of you at our first Tribal Council!"

"Well, you didn't because you weren't thinking straight! Now that you've practically let me through to the finals, you've pretty much confirmed your doom! Let's face it, you were never capable of putting a good plan together!"

"You think I'm going to let you get away with saying something like that?! You stabbed several people in the back just to get here!"

Mel and Marty turned and saw D'looa and Elias storming over, looking like they were in a heated argument.

"You know as well as I do that the people I backstabbed were major physical and jury threats!" Elias snapped. "If I let them continue any further, they would have taken all of us out!"

"I can't believe I thought I could actually team up with you!" D'looa growled. "Maybe I should just join Mel and Marty and vote you out at Tribal Council!"

"Not if I can get their vote first!" Elias retorted. "Don't be surprised if you find yourself handing in your torch!"

With that, both D'looa and Elias turned and stormed away in different directions, leaving a surprised Mel and Marty sitting there.

"This may actually work out." Mel said with a smirk.

"_Okay. Now that D'looa and Elias hate each other, it could eliminate the chance of a tiebreaker." Marty explained. "Now Mel and I hold the power to eliminate one of them simply by siding with the other. Now we just need to wait for one of them to approach us."_

Meanwhile, D'looa and Elias had both taken different paths and met up behind the shelter. The two smirked at each other.

"_I have to hand it to D'looa. That WAS a pretty crazy idea." Elias chuckled._

**(Tribal Council)**

The four finalists entered the hut carrying their torches. Finding their spots, everyone sat down. Mel and Marty were sitting on each of the far stools while Elias and D'looa occupied the two middle positions.

"Before we start, let's bring in the members of the jury." SSBFreak explained. "Angie, Barney, Kida, Reginald, Crane, Jonathan, Sandy and Zoe, whom was voted out at the last Tribal Council."

The finalists watched as the growing number of jury members entered the hut, Zoe bringing up the rear. She was now wearing a red dress that went down to her knees and red heels.

"They will not address you and you are not to address them. They're just here to watch." SSBFreak explained. "Marty, you won Immunity. Did you need it?"

"With me winning, that pretty much told us that Mel would be going into a tiebreaker with either D'looa or Elias." Marty explained. "Because she had practice against Zoe, Mel and I both think she can pull off another victory."

"The tiebreaker was close." Zoe pouted, folding her arms.

"We all know that." Jonathan supplied.

"Mel, do you agree with Marty about a possible tiebreaker?" SSBFreak asked.

"That's what we were thinking would happen, but right before Tribal Council, we saw that Elias and D'looa got into a heated argument." Mel explained. "We'd gladly join forces with one of them if it means avoiding a tiebreaker."

"I think she's just afraid she'd lose." Angie suggested.

"That thought HAS crossed my mind." Reginald agreed.

"D'looa, why were you arguing with Elias?" SSBFreak asked.

"Simply put, I've become fed up with him. I've been putting up with him for a while, but I think all of the time around him has finally gotten to me." D'looa replied. As she was talking, Elias was whispering something to Mel. It looked like D'looa and Marty didn't notice. "I'd be willing to get rid of him to make the finals. I think I can win against Mel and Marty."

The jury looked curious as to why Elias was talking to Mel, but Sandy couldn't help but grin in anticipation.

"Elias, do you have similar feelings about D'looa?" SSBFreak asked.

"Indeed. She's been on my case since the merge and I've just been playing a strategic game." Elias explained. D'looa, in the meantime, was whispering something to Marty. Elias and Mel didn't appear to notice it. "She just doesn't grasp the concept that I've been taking out the people I see as threats."

"Okay, I think that's enough questions. Before we continue, I have to ask." SSBFreak said. "Marty, will you be giving up Immunity tonight?"

"And give up a shot at the finals? No thank you."

"Okay. Marty is immune tonight and can't be eliminated. It's now time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Mel, you're up."

Mel nodded and left the hut, going over to the voting table. "Elias told me that we were voting for you." She explained, showing that she had voted for D'looa.

D'looa approached the table and wrote a name down. Without bothering to show it to the camera, she stuck it into the urn.

Elias wrote a name down as soon as he got to the table. Like D'looa, he didn't bother to show it to the camera before placing it into the jar.

Marty walked up to the table and wrote a name down. "According to D'looa, we're voting for you, man." He said, having voted for Elias.

Once all four had voted, SSBFreak left the hut and returned with the urn after a short while. "Once I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." SSBFreak explained. "It's time to read the votes."

"First vote: D'looa." D'looa bit her lip, looking a little worried.

"Elias. That's one vote for D'looa and Elias." Elias glanced at D'looa and she glanced back.

"…Mel." This took Mel and Marty completely by surprise. Mel stared in surprise. "Final vote, ninth and final member of the jury and fifteenth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"

"…Mel. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained.

The entire hut was frozen in shock surprise at what had just happened. Sandy couldn't help but break down laughing as D'looa and Elias smirked at each other, realizing that their plan had worked.

Mel, the shock finally worn off, shook her head. "Wow…I can't believe that just happened." She said as she grabbed her torch and brought it to SSBFreak.

"Mel, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Mel's torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Good luck, Marty." Mel said as she waved to her friend and left the hut without another word.

Once Mel was gone, SSBFreak turned to the remaining finalists. "This is it. You three have outlasted fifteen other people to make it this far, and there's only one more Tribal Council left." He explained. "While the physical portion of your game is now over, you must now focus on trying to win the votes of the jury, because they will be the ones who decide who wins in the end. With that in mind, you can all head back to camp to prepare for tomorrow."

Marty, D'looa and Elias stood up, collected their torches and left the hut together, starting their trek back to camp. Although none of them were speaking at all, they were all thinking the same thing: How to win over the votes of the nine jury members for them to win the much-coveted grand prize.

"_Man. I was THIS close to winning it all. I can't believe that, of all things, I was taken out by a plan to split the votes of my alliance. I honestly didn't see that coming." Mel moaned. "On the plus side though, I managed to go further than I ever thought I would go. The final four is an amazing accomplishment in my opinion."_

**Voting History:**

**Mel – D'looa and Elias**

**D'looa – Mel**

**Elias – Marty**

Author's Note: Mel was one of the season's biggest characters despite still being a little under-the-radar. She went from a timid geek into a power player. Unfortunately, that made her too big of a threat for me to have win. I wanted to get Mel close to the finals, but not quite.


	17. Day 39

**(La'nooba Tribe)**

"_I can't believe D'looa and Elias actually FAKED an argument to get Mel and I to let our guard down. And what's worse? We FELL for it!" Marty exclaimed. "Mel's gone, and now it's just me against D'looa and Elias. I'm SO thankful that there's not going to be any more eliminations or I'd be freaking toast."_

"So that whole argument you guys did before Tribal Council was just a ruse to avoid the tiebreaker?" Marty asked, not looking amused.

"That's pretty much it, and I think it worked considering we were able to vote out Mel." D'looa nodded. "Don't look so down though, Marty. She was way too big of a threat and you know it."

"We tried to think of the jury members that could have voted for her and we didn't really like it." Elias shook his head. "Voting out Mel was probably better for all of us."

"_It was a risky plan, but it paid off. Because of that argument, D'looa and I were able to slip past the defenses of the alliance and take out their bigget threat." Elias explained. "I never would have thought D'looa was capabe of something so sneaky, but I have to say that I'm impressed."_

"Whatever. We may as well prepare for tomorrow, so I'm going to work on a case to plead to the jury." Marty said before walking back to the shelter.

After Marty was gone, Elias looked at D'looa. "He has a point. The final Tribal Council is tomorrow. I'd better get working on my case as well." He reasoned.

"I know you're not going to pull any punches, so expect me to fire right back." D'looa warned.

Elias smirked. "I'll have to prepare for that as well." He said as he walked off to the shelter.

"_Coming up with a case to plead to the jury isn't as easy as you may think. Not only do you have to point out that you were a good player, but you have to point out why the jury shouldn't vote for the others without making it look too hateful." D'looa explained. "If you make your case too negative, you may end up losing votes."_

D'looa decided to go to sleep as well and ended up entering the shelter after Marty and Elias. All three knew that they had a big day coming up and they all knew they had to be prepared.

**(La'nooba Tribe, Day 39)**

"_This is it. The final day in the competition. The day that all of us have been waiting for since the start." Elias said with a smirk. "We don't need to worry about doing anything physical anymore. The only thing we have to worry about is swaying the jury votes. I know I'm capable of doing that, so already I have an advantage."_

As Elias and D'looa were starting a fire, Marty was down by the beach, fishing for lunch. However, as he was, he seemed to be in deep thought.

"_You know what? I think Elias and D'looa may have shot themselves in the foot by voting off Mel." Marty explained. "With her and Crane, I've already got two votes. I just need to sway a couple of the others to my side and get them to vote with me as well. Maybe I can sway Barney, Sandy and Reggie…"_

While the final three were eating lunch, D'looa raised an imaginary glass into the air. "Well, to the final three." She said with a smirk.

"Hard to believe we actually made it this far." Marty added. "I'm sure we were all expecting to be eliminated earlier than this."

"Hey, we've all been targets at SOME point in the game." D'looa shrugged. "People like Reggie, Sandy and Zoe were only really targeted around their eliminations."

"Well, I suppose the only thing we can do now is anticipate a brutal Tribal Council." Elias reasoned.

"_I'm actually not looking forward to the final Tribal Council, because I'm afraid I'm going to trip over an unexpected question and doom myself." D'looa said. "Still, I think it's definitely going to be close comparing myself to Marty and Elias."_

After lunch, Elias had gone to get treemail and came back with a letter. "Looks like we've got our final treemail." He explained.

"The final Tribal Council?" D'looa asked.

"Yes. It says 'Come to Tribal Council and prepare to face the jury. Your fate now rests in their hands'." Elias read.

"Great. As if I wasn't already nervous enough…" Marty rolled his eyes.

D'looa sighed and looked at the camp. "This is it. This will be the last time we see camp." She explained.

"I'm not going to miss it. The sooner we get back to civilization, the better." Elias replied.

"Hey, this place was my home longer than it was you guys." Marty explained. "You were stuck at the other camp for half the competition."

"I guess he's got a point." D'looa rubbed her head.

"Well, we may as well get going. The competiton is nearing its end." Elias explained. "And it isn't going to end unless we face the jury."

The final three eventually decided to leave for Tribal Council, bidding farewell to their camp for the last time as they departed.

"_It's going to be hard to sway some people, but I think I can do it. There are obviously people that will vote for Marty and Elias with no questions asked, but I think I can sway the swing votes." D'looa explained. "I'm prepared for anything the jury has to offer, so I say bring it on."_

"_My biggest strength is that I played a far superior strategic game than my fellow finalists. I just need to make the jury see that." Elias said. "I'm not expecting a unaminous vote, but if I can convince enough people that my gameplay was all strategy, I'll easily win over enough people."_

"_I can win this. I really feel I can win this. If I plead my case without a hitch and answer the jury's questions confidently, I've got this one in the bag." Marty said with a smirk. "It'll be a hard Tribal Council, but not impossible. I'll win the jury over yet."_

**(Tribal Council)**

The three finalists walked into Tribal Council, carrying their torches for the last time. Finding their spots, D'looa, Elias and Marty sat down and waited for the final council to start.

"Welcome to your final Tribal Council, finalists. In a moment, one of you will be declared the winner and will walk away with one million dollars. But let's bring in the people that will ultimately choose who the money will go to: The jury." SSBFreak said. "Angie, Barney, Kida, Reginald, Crane, Jonathan, Sandy, Zoe and Mel, whom was voted out at the last Tribal Council."

The complete jury entered the hut with the newly-eliminated Mel bringing up the rear. The technician was wearing a green shirt with white trim and a new pair of jeans. Mel's ponytail was gone and she had cut her hair, which now dangled just above her shoulders.

"Shortly, they will all ask you a series of questions one at a time to decide who they vote for." SSBFreak said. "However, before we do that, I'll ask each of you to plead your case and describe your game plan. You only have one shot at this, so make it count. I'll be going alphabetically, so D'looa, would you start?"

D'looa took a deep breath and plead her case. "My strategy coming into this was to lay low, but still be visible enough to make a few moves. However, I realized once the merge hit that I needed to change my game, so I did." She explained. "In joining a strong alliance, I was able to give input and help vote out bigger threats. Marty tried the same thing as me, but he held almost no impact in the end, whereas I was able to pull off some major moves. In fact, by the end of the game, I'd say that I was responsible for some of the biggest blindsides in the game, something I'm sure Elias would have wanted to accomplish himself. In short, I think I played a good enough game to win, and I eagerly await your questions."

"Elias, you're up." SSBFreak explained.

"Thank you. Now, I know that some of you people may be a little cross at me, but you need to remember that voting you off was because I found you too big of a threat." Elias explained. "If I didn't take out those of you when I did, you could have won the game in the end. D'looa says that she was responsible for some of the bigger moves, but I have to disagree. I was responsible for even bigger moves, and if I didn't pull them off, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. All I can say to you is look past the grudges you have against me and ask who played the better game? Judging at how D'looa and Marty played their game, I think I played a far superior game to them."

"Marty, would you finish it off?" SSBFreak asked.

"Um…Wow…Hey, I know I didn't have as big an impact on that game as D'looa and Elias did, but unlike them, I actually played an honest game. Both D'looa and Elias admit to being responsible for some underhanded tricks, but I wasn't like that." Marty explained. "I played the game fairly and didn't double-cross anyone. In my opinion, this game isn't about making as many moves as you can to make it far, but making it to the end without doing any of that to show that you're a deserving winner. To sum it up, I ask you not to look at who played a better strategic game, but who played a better social game. Considering that I'm still here after throwing my back out on day 3, I'd say that that person would be me."

"Okay. Very good cases had been laid out, but you three aren't in the clear yet. It's time for the members of the jury to start asking their questions." SSBFreak said. "Kida, you're up."

"Thanks, bro." Kida nodded as she approached the three finalists. "Well, dudes. Here you are. You guys are the final three and stuff. I know who I'm voting for, but I'll totally ask questions." She looked at Elias first. "Elias, I know you've been getting this, but why did you vote me out?"

Elias looked at the other jurors. "Show of hands. Who would have voted for Kida, no questions asked, if she had made the finals over your respective alliances?" He asked.

Crane, Mel, Barney, Sandy and Angie put their hands up, although Angie took a moment's hesitation to do so.

"You see, Kida? That's five out of nine without even trying." Elias said. "You were such a kind player that you were the biggest jury threat in the entire game."

Kida paused, then shrugged. "Okay, man. I see your point. Marty, what do you think was the biggest shocker of the game?" She asked.

"Shee'Na voted out pre-merge." Marty shook his head. "I'm sure that blew everyone away."

"Everyone that was there, anyway." Kida added with a smirk before turning to D'looa. "D'looa, I got a question for you as well, man."

"Okay, Kida. Go ahead." D'looa said.

"What would you say was the biggest surprise you faced in the game, man?" Kida asked.

"I'd like to say your elimination, but I'd have to say Jonathan pulling out the Immunity Idol and blindsiding Reggie." D'looa replied.

"REGINALD!"

"But yeah, I don't think Jonathan even told Zoe that he had the idol to begin with."

"I see, man." Kida said as she turned away. "Okay. I'm done, bro."

"Okay. Crane, you're up." SSBFreak said.

The white-haired rudie approached the final three, hands in his pockets. "I also know who I'm voting for, but like Kida, I'm still going to ask questions for the sake of the others." He explained. "Marty, what would you do with the money if you won?"

"Easy. I'd use some of it to buy off Bowser and keep him from attacking my friend and I." Marty explained. "You have no idea how hard it is to make a living when you've constantly got an overgrown turtle with a nasty attitude breathing down your neck."

Crane shrugged. "I've got the Golden Rhinos. It's pretty close." He said before turning to D'looa. "Okay, D'looa. I want you to give me a reason why I should vote for ELIAS."

D'looa blinked in surprise for a few seconds. "Well, he DID play a good strategic game. I mean, he was targeted multiple times and he was still able to pull through and survive every Tribal Council." She explained.

"I see." Crane said. "Elias, I have a similar question. Give me a reason why I should vote for D'LOOA."

"I'm not going to deny that the moves she made in the game were big and well-thought. Heck, I admire her for coming up with some of them." Elias admitted. "If there was someone that came up with almost as many moves as I did, it would probably have to be her."

"Okay, I'm done." Crane said as he returned to his seat.

"You're up, Reginald." SSBFreak explained.

Reginald smirked as he approached the finalists. "I'm not going to ask any questions. I've got a little something I've got to say instead." He explained. "Voting off Mel was the smartest thing any of you could have done. She had guaranteed votes from Crane, Barney AND myself. Kida even said that if D'looa was eliminated last night, she would have voted for Mel as well. That's three guaranteed votes and a possible fourth without having to do anything."

Noticing the surprised looks on the finalists faces, Reginald looked at D'looa. "D'looa, you were basically a non-entity until the merge hit. You said so yourself." He explained. "Sure, you were responsible for a few blindsides, but it took you a long time to actually come out of your shell to do any of those moves."

Reginald wasn't done, and turned to Marty. "Marty, you were even worse than D'looa. You joined a powerful alliance, but that was pretty much ALL you did. You were just a third wheel to Mel and Crane and weren't really responsible for anything the alliance was able to accomplish." He pointed out. "I know your strategy was to fly under the radar, but there IS such a thing as taking it too far, you know."

Finally, Reginald looked at Elias. "Elias, you apparently thought that you were the smartest person on your tribe. You couldn't be further from the truth, because I think that the smartest member of Nago is currently occupying the final jury position. You were way too confident for your own good." He pointed out. "In short, I have no idea whom I'm going to vote for, because in my opinion, none of you played a good enough game to win."

With that, Reginald returned to his seat. "Will you go next, Angie?" SSBFreak asked.

Angie approached the finalists, smirking. "I want you guys to summarize this whole experience since you were the only ones to see it to the end." She said. "You go first, Elias."

"This has been an interesting experience, to say the least. Even with my ability to work together a plan, I thought I'd end up going around the time to merge hit." Elias shrugged.

"You almost did." Marty lifted a non-existant eyebrow.

"But you know what? I'm glad I did this in the end. It's proven that I need more than intelligence to get the best of people, especially since I was taken for the fool a couple of times." Elias finished.

"Your turn, Marty." Angie said.

"The whole experience was amazing. I was thinking I'd go on day 3, but here I am, sitting here as a finalist." Marty explained. "I was able to last longer than people who were physically superior to me in every way, and I think that's a huge accomplishment in itself."

"D'looa, finish it off." Angie requested.

"I knew coming into this that it would be hard to do the game while prohibited from using my force powers, but I was able to surprise myself and keep it in there." D'looa replied. "The experience was as hard and challenging as I expected it to be, but I'm both amazed and pleased that I made it all the way to the end. Just being able to be a part of this competition is something to be proud of."

"Okay. I got what I needed." Angie said as she returned to the jury bench.

"Go ahead, Zoe." SSBFreak said.

The skunk girl walked over to the finalists and smiled. "Despite my nature, I'm going to avoid anything nice from you guys and focus on things you didn't enjoy doing." Zoe said. "I want you guys to tell me the thing you did that you most regret since the start of the competition. Marty, you start."

"Voting off Jonathan. I know he was literally asking to be eliminated, but I still couldn't help but feel sorry for him when I voted him off." Marty explained.

"D'looa?" Zoe asked.

"I was one of the people that voted out Jake on day 6." D'looa replied, shaking her head. "Looking back at it now, I really regret it because he had a lot of potential."

"How about you, Elias?" Zoe finished.

"I half-formed an alliance with Bonnie and was strategically trying to take her further into the game if she would keep low." Elias said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, it ended up painting a target on my back because she didn't listen to anything I said."

"Thanks. I think that's enough." Zoe nodded as she walked back. "I'm done!"

"Barney, you're up."

Barney approached the finalists. "Sorry, Elias. I'm not going to ask you a question because my vote will be between D'looa and Marty." He explained.

"Understandable." Elias shrugged.

"Okay. D'looa, why do you think I should vote for you?" Barney asked.

"Because we've been decent friends since we started and you gained a lot of respect from everyone by exploding on Bonnie." D'looa pointed out. "In addition, I'm the only one sitting here that didn't have a hand in voting you out."

Barney paused, as if realizing D'looa had a point. "Okay then. Marty, since you DID vote me off, why should I vote for you?" He asked.

"In my opinion, you should feel flattered that people considered you so much of a threat." Marty reasoned. "No one would have stood a chance against you in any physical challenge, so we knew it was best to vote you off when we got the chance. Besides, you guys still outnumbered us at that point, so it's more Elias' fault that you were kicked off."

Barney seemed to pause in thought before nodding. "I'm done. I got what I needed." He said as he returned to his seat.

"Mel, you're up." SSBFreak said.

"Marty, I'm not going to ask you a question." Mel warned. "I already know enough about you not to ask you anything."

"It's all good." Marty nodded.

"Elias, you know that Bonnie was not only my biggest enemy, but everyone else's as well." Mel pointed out. "Why would you think that trying to get her further into the game would be a good idea?"

"Because anyone going against Bonnie in the finals would win. She may have been an idiot, but she was the BEST person to take to the finals." Elias said. "If she had made the finals, the final three would pretty much become a final two."

"Okay. I guess there's logic in that, as warped as it sounds." Mel shrugged. "Okay. D'looa, if you think I'm going to give Marty a vote without thinking, try and sway my vote."

"Marty didn't really do a lot in the game. Even after joining one of the biggest alliances in the game, he still didn't have much of an impact." D'looa replied. "I mean, I'm sure even you and Crane initially thought of Marty as an extra vote before you really got to know him."

Mel, out of respect for Marty, didn't answer the statement. "I'm done over here." She said as she left to return to her seat. "Jonathan, it's your turn."

"I could tell that you guys were surprised to see me wearing glasses." Jonathan said as he came over. "I'm a little near-sighted and didn't want to break my glasses when we started. Well, enough about that. Onto the questions." He said. "Marty, what would you have done if you didn't join Crane and Mel?"

"I probably would have just stuck with being on my own and trying to fly under the radar." Marty scratched his head. "I mean, it's obvious that I'm not a physical threat, so I probably just would have sat back as the stronger people picked each other off."

"D'looa, don't think you've got my vote off the bat. You need to earn it." Jonathan warned. "So what would you do with the money if you won?"

"Well, that's actually a good question because Jedis don't really spend a lot. I would probably use a lot of it to help rebuild the Jedi Temple on Corousant." D'looa replied. "I regret that I wasn't around to see the temple in its full glory, but I think I could help restore it with Palpatine out of the picture."

Jonathan gave a thoughtful shrug before turning to Elias. "Elias, you're obviously the scheming type. Who would you have voted for if I didn't get injured and won Immunity that fateful day?" He asked.

"Mel, for reasons that have already been proven. She was a huge jury threat and already had enough votes to win." Elias explained. "She would have won hands down if she made it to where the three of us are now."

"Okay. I think I've got what I needed." Jonathan said as he turned to walk away.

"Sandy, would you finish us off?" SSBFreak asked.

"I would, but SOMEONE took my bazooka away." Sandy replied as she walked over to the finalists, still dressed in her mascot rabbit suit. "Before I ask questions, there's just something I want to say to all three of you."

"What's that?" Marty asked.

"…You guys are the most paranoid people I've ever met! And that's saying something because I happen to know Bosco quite well!" Sandy laughed heartily. "You all seriously thought I was planning to pull one over on you?! I HAD no plan! I was just in this game to have fun! You were all so paranoid that I was secretly planning to pick you all off that you didn't stop to enjoy the game like I did!"

This threw the three finalists for a loop, but they just sat there, wide-eyed, as Sandy continued.

"Everything you guys even think about are just ways to get ahead of others and to vote off people that you consider threats! All I could think off was what type of awesome challenge we'd be going up against next! I was having a blast playing the game and you guys were just so paranoid about everything!" Sandy was laughing her head off by now. "Oh! And one more thing! Those bushes make for awesome hiding places! I found out about every single so-called secret alliance long before anyone else even got suspicious about them!"

D'looa, Elias and Marty stared at Sandy with wide eyes, wondering if she was telling the truth.

"That's right! I could have ratted you guys out anytime I wanted, but I was having so much fun playing the game I decided to let you people think you were able to keep your alliances a secret!" Sandy laughed. "Man! Hoo boy, isn't that something?!"

With that, Sandy returned to the jury bench, still laughing her head off. The three finalists paused before looking at each other, realizing that Sandy hadn't even asked any questions.

Once Sandy was seated again, SSBFreak continued. "Shortly, these jury members will vote for whom they deem most-worthy of the million-dollar prize. The nine members of the jury have all asked you their questions and you have hopefully given the right answers, because your game is now out of your hands." He explained. "All I can say is that I hope you plead your case well, because it's time to vote. Angie, you're up."

Angie stood up and left the hut to go over to the voting table. She quickly scribbled down a name. "I think you plead a good-enough case. Great work." She said, having voted for Elias.

Barney, looking like he was still in thought, approached the table. He finally wrote a name down and stuck it into the urn.

Kida smirked as she wrote a name down and showed it to the camera. "Awesome work with the jury, dude. I hope you win." She said, having voted for D'looa.

Reginald stood in front of the voting table, still undecided. He finally sighed and wrote a name down before voting and leaving the table.

Crane scribbled a name down calmly and showed it to the camera. "You made it to the end, man. That's good enough for me." He said, having voted for Marty.

Jonathan, using his bad hand (his good hand was still injured) wrote a poorly-scribbled name onto a ballot. After deciding that the vote was still readable, he placed it into the urn.

"I really enjoyed talking to the finalists, but I can't help but feel that I forgot to do something I was supposed to." Sandy pondered, scratching her head as she placed her vote into the urn.

Zoe gave a friendly smile as she wrote a name down onto a ballot. The skunk girl placed it into the urn and returned to the hut.

Mel was the last one to vote, but also took the least amount of time to vote. The technician wrote down a name, placed the vote into the urn and left as quickly as she came.

After the jury members had voted, SSBFreak left to fetch the urn and came back after a bit. "The votes have been counted and there are indeed enough votes to name a winner inside the urn." He explained. "I know that everyone is wanting to get this over with, and I'll reveal the results…At the reunion."

The three finalists groaned. "For real?!" D'looa asked.

"Yep. I'll see you all at the reunion, where we'll announce the winner." SSBFreak said. "I'll read you the votes then and there. Until then, farewell!"

SSBFreak pulled something from his pocket and threw it to the ground, creating a cloud of smoke. When the smoke vanished, SSBFreak (and the urn of votes he was holding) was gone.

"What the heck?!" Elias asked. "What were those?!"

"Ancient ninja smoke pellets that allow for teleportation." Sandy piped up. "He saw that I had some and asked if he could borrow them. I dunno where he went, though. I've honestly never used them myself…"

The three finalists looked at each other uneasily.

**(Reunion)**

The final Tribal Council had just finished playing on a tv screen, which then showed SSBFreak standing in front of a large audience on an outdoor stage with the final three and the jury, whom was sitting aside. The audience was cheering wildly once the scene had ended.

The final three were dressed differently for the occasion. D'looa was dressed in a loose-fitting white shirt, a pair of baggy tan pants and boots that almost went up to her knees. In short, she was wearing a similar outfit to that of Luke Skywalker's Tatooine garb.

Elias was wearing a red, long-sleeve shirt underneath a blue vest that was done up. He was wearing a pair of dark pants and had actually abandoned his shades, showing the brown eyes he had.

Marty was, surprisingly, dressed a lot more formally than the others. He was wearing a white shirt, a black jacket, a black tie and a pair of black pants. It looked like the scrawny koopa was wearing a miniature tuxedo.

"Welcome to the reunion and finale of Survivor: Central Hub." SSBFreak said. "We have our final three, along with the nine members of the jury, here with us to await the final results."

"Where did you end up going, anyway?" Marty asked.

"I had to keep this thing away from some irate Moblins in Hyrule." SSBFreak said, pointing to the urn. "Man, those things get posessive with anything…"

"Not my fault! I warned you that I had no idea how those things worked!" Sandy said in defense.

"Anyway…Marty, how did your friends react to you making it this far?" SSBFreak asked.

"They were all surprised. My best friend bet that I'd be out within the first few days." Marty explained. "He owes my girlfriend twenty coins, now."

"Elias, looking back at the season, what do you think surprised you the most?" SSBFreak asked.

"The thing that surprised me the most, and I think all three of us agree on this, was the fact that Sandy was actually telling the truth at Tribal Council." Elias explained.

"Yeah. She seriously DID find out about every single secret alliance in the game, even the ones that didn't get very far." D'looa added. "And yet she kept quiet about everything she learned."

"Hey, she said herself that she was only in the game to have fun." Marty shrugged.

"D'looa, what do you think you'd do differently if you had to do it all again?" SSBFreak asked.

"Try and have a little more impact during the pre-merge days." D'looa replied. "I think we all agree that all three of us were overshadowed by people like Mel, Jonathan and Zoe."

"So do any of you have any idea on who's going to win?" SSBFreak asked.

"Not a clue." Elias shook his head.

"No idea." Marty added.

"Couldn't tell you." D'looa finished.

"Well we're going to find out." SSBFreak said as he reached for the urn. "Remember that you want to see your name here, because the person with the most votes at the end will win the one million dollars. For the final time, it's time to read the votes."

"Good luck, you guys." Marty said.

"Yeah. Good luck." Elias added.

"Thanks. You too." D'looa said.

"…First vote: Marty." Marty couldn't help but smile in anticipation.

"Elias." "I think I know who that came from." Elias said.

"D'looa. We're tied at one vote each." "Thanks, Kida." D'looa said.

"Elias." Elias raised an eyebrow, wondering who the vote had come from.

"D'looa." D'looa smirked, recognizing the handwriting.

"Marty. We're tied again at two each." The three finalists looked at each other.

"Marty. He now leads." "Huh?!"

"D'looa. She and Marty are tied at three while Elias has two." D'looa gave a nervous smile, knowing that it was going to be close.

"Here's how it stands. D'looa and Marty are tied with three votes, while Elias has two, and there is just one ballot left in the urn. If this vote is for Elias, we'll have a three-way tie." SSBFreak said before looking at the vote. "It's not for Elias. He's the sixteenth person voted out of the game."

"Eh. You can't win 'em all." Elias sighed as he sat back and folded his arms.

D'looa and Marty nervously looked at each other, wondering which of them had gotten the final and deciding vote. Whoever got the vote would be the winner, and they both knew that. The tension was amazingly thick.

"The last vote, and winner of Survivor: Central Hub…" SSBFreak said, purposefully taking a moment to increase the tension before turning the vote around. "Marty!"

"I…I won?!" Marty asked, wide-eyed. "I won!!"

"You did it, Marty!" D'looa cheered. Elias was clapping his hands for the winner.

Once it had sunk in that he had actually won, Marty raced down into the audience and got into a group hug with his friends, none of them believing that Marty had actually won. The host and jury watched as Marty continue dto celebrate before coming back onto the stage.

"WOO! Awesome!" Mel cheered

"He actually pulled it off." Barney nodded. "Man. That's just amazing."

"I can't believe it." Reginald shook his head.

"Don't just sit there, members of the jury." SSBFreak said. "Why don't you go over and congratulate the winner?"

That seemed to be enough for the jury, as they all got up and rushed over to the other side of the stage to congratulate Marty, whom had just climbed back onto the stage.

"Also, not to leave anyone out, the pre-merges are also here to join the festivities." SSBFreak said as Lilah, Jake, Tork, Nikko, Bonnie and Shee'Na emerged onto the stage. Bonnie looked a little less-than-thrilled with the results.

As Marty was congratulated from the others and Elias & D'looa were both praised for lasting as long as they did, SSBFreak turned to the camera. "And so ends a successful season of Survivor: Central Hub. The fight was hard, but in the end, only one remained standing." He explained. "The win went to the complete underdog. He ran into a lot of bad luck over the course, but it paid off. Marty played an honest game, and that got him enough votes from the jury to pull off the win and become the sole survivor."

SSBFreak gave a smirk. "Will we do another season of Survivor: Central Hub?" He asked. "The second season is currently in the works and should be starting soon. For now, I bid you all farewell and thank you for watching this season. We'll be seeing you soon!"

**Voting History:**

**Marty – Barney, Crane, Sandy and Mel**

**D'looa – Kida, Jonathan and Zoe**

**Elias – Angie and Reginald**

**Author's Notes: **Well, Survivor: Central Hub is finished and the winner had been decided. The whole thing was fun to write and I'd love to do it again, but I want to get a few other things done before I start. Well, anyway, onto the finalists.

**Marty, the Underdog**  
Marty is probably everything you'd expect from an underdog and he's overcome pretty much every obstacle in the game. As I was writing, I realized that Marty would be the best winner because for him to overcome so much and not win just wouldn't sit well with me. There have been a number of times where Marty had been saved.

He got kidnapped on Day 3 when he threw out his back, saving him.

If Tork didn't get injured and was forced to leave, Reginald's alliance probably would have targeted him.

If Angie didn't plant the ideas into Jonathan's head to vote out Shee'Na, Marty probably would have ended up going.

If Crane and Mel didn't bring him onto their alliance, Marty would have stayed on his own. He would have gotten ganged up on eventually.

Some may say that I had a little bit of bias for having Marty win because he existed before the story, but that's not the case. D'looa, Jonathan, Crane, Barney, Bonnie, Tork and Jake also existed before I started this, so I guess Marty winning in the end is more of a coincidence.

Unfortunately, most people wouldn't have expected Marty to win because I gave him such a weak start. I didn't realize I gave him such a poor first episode (followed by such a strong second episode) until I started posting. SWSU, it's completely my fault for screwing up your edgic, so I apologize.

**D'looa, the Switch**  
Why am I calling D'looa a switch? She was originally the winner, and Marty was the runner-up. Even as I was writing the story, I was picturing D'looa as the eventual winner. However, once I reached the merge, I noticed that D'looa was being overshadowed despite my best efforst to make her complex in the pre-merge days. Her only real insight was the fact that she hated Bonnie probably more than most of her team-mates. It was then I decided to swap her with Marty and let her take second place.

Man, I can't believe how much D'looa got overshadowed by the other players. That's kinda why I put a little foreshadowing in her response at the reunion. She said that if she was to do anything differently, she'd try to have more impact in the pre-merge days. That's exactly what cost her the win for me.

**Elias, The Schemer**  
Elias was fun to write for, but he wasn't originally going to make the finale. He was originally intended to be eliminated at the final four, losing a fire-making tiebreaker to Mel. However, I didn't want Mel to win in the end and knew that if she made the finale, it was almost guaranteed that she'd win, so I swapped them and had Elias finish third.

The biggest problem with Elias is that I ended up portraying him as a villain WAY too early. By episode three, you probably realized that he was going to be a villain. When I realized that it was obvious that I was setting Elias up for the fall, I quickly decided that if I made a few of his ideas backfire on him, it wouldn't eliminate him edgicly as quickly. It didn't mean that he'd win in the end, but at least he'd still have a chance by the reader's point of view.


End file.
